Web Site Promotion

The question begging to be answered is: "What good does it do us to have a Web site if nobody visits it?" It's the same question applied to anything a church or ministry does: "What good does it do for us to have a building (ministry, event, concert, etc.) if nobody comes?" You can adapt the same principles you use to bring people into your building to bring people to your Web site. Following are several suggestions for promoting your Web site.

	What's the best way to get people to attend your church? Invite them. The same is true of your Web site. Create excitement among key leaders and others in the church or ministry by offering them a "sneak peek" into all that you will offer. Then, ask them to talk about it with their friends, neighbors, Sunday School class, family… you get the picture. Create reasons for people to visit your site and thus build excitement.
	Establish your site as an integral part of your overall communication. If you print a newsletter, include it on the site, but with added information. Encourage people to visit the site for more in-depth information or to register for events promoted in the newsletter. Consider posting your weekly bulletin before the weekend. Add announcements that come up during the week to your site.
	Consider developing a Web site ministry team or integrating Web promotion into existing teams. This group could take charge of promotion as well as site maintenance.
	Upon the launch of your site, develop a printed piece such as a brochure, bulletin insert, or section of the newsletter dedicated to explaining its purpose and how to use it.
	Make sure your Web address appears on your letterhead, business cards, correspondence - everywhere your street address or phone number appear.
	If you have an outside sign with recurring messages, promote your site to passersby with "Visit our Web site at www.yourdomainname.org."
	Check with your city's chamber of commerce, visitor's bureau or city hall to determine if they have a Web site promoting your area and if so ask if they would provide a link to your site. You should offer to do the same on your site. If they don't have a site, find out how you can promote your site otherwise within official publications.
	If you have a church site, the support and attention given it "from the pulpit" will be important, especially in smaller churches. Mention the site frequently in some way during the regular announcement time.
	Determine if you have the advertising budget to purchase ads in local newspapers, on radio or television. If so, create professional, relevant advertising that promotes your site
	Above all, be constantly innovative and proactive in promoting your site. Plan. Keep the content fresh. Seek the ideas of others.

	Used announcement slides prior to the service to introduce the site
	Premiered a video in worship related to their counseling services and the Web site
	Set up a display in the church lobby in which pages of the Web site flashed on a projection screen
	Gave out magnets with the center's phone number and Web address
	Inserted a bookmark in the bulletin with the Web address and its basic contents
	Held an open house at their center

Dianne Casolaro
Details Communications/E-zekiel