The essentials of communication
When it comes to leadership, communication is essential. One of the vital roles of communication is using the right medium to communicate the message most effectively and broadly. Social media is one of those tools that we can so easily use, without considering all the costs.
What is the value added by having a church social media account or a personal social media account? Do we need “all the socials” or just particular ones?
Other questions to consider:
- Who is your audience?
- What kind of messaging does your audience respond to?
- Where is your audience?
- When does your audience check particular channels of communication?
- Why does your audience need that particular communication?
- How will you most effectively, efficiently, and broadly use that medium of communication so it becomes an addition rather than subtraction to your life and leadership?
We don’t just communicate because we should communicate, we communicate because we believe in the message we are sharing. If we believe in it, we should do everything we can to ensure it is communicated in the best and most effective way possible. It doesn’t take a big staff or budget to do this.
Many communication channels now allow you the ability to schedule, so it has made things even easier. You can sit down one day a month and schedule out your emails and Facebook posts, prepare your Instagram and Twitter posts and set reminders to send them out.
There are also companies like Hootsuite or Buffer that, for a monthly or yearly fee, will not just post to Facebook, but also allow you to schedule out Instagram and Twitter posts as well. Each level of this subscription allows different features, such as posting to Instagram stories, scheduling more than 10 posts per social media channel, and bringing in team members so you are not the only one creating and posting content.
Regardless of what channel or medium of communication you use, I would encourage you to use something. Ask the above questions, figure out where your audience is, and speak to them where they are. It is unlikely that people are going to come searching for the exact content you are presenting or communicating unless you are putting it out there for them to easily and quickly find.
Photo source: istock
 | Ben Marshall is a Pastor at Pathway Church in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He works with teenagers and young adults. He is passionate about leadership and raising up the next generation of biblical leaders. He is a blogger, guitar player and sports enthusiast. Ben currently resides in Beaver Falls with his wife Connie and their two daughters, Aliya and Sophie Learn More » |
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