Church Marketing Personnel Learn from Britain's Catholic Herald Newspaper

The Catholic Herald newspaper, Britain's leading Catholic newspaper, is a special website example for church marketing personnel, and is available in an abridged form online.

The online stories are detailed and often include colourful photographs to enhance each particular story. Online subscribers also gain access to a raft of archival material.

This is a very informative online Catholic newspaper. It is often detailed and contains a large variety of topics from a significant collection of journalists / authors. The stories are contemporary and relevant for a diverse readership.

The homepage is detailed, yet is easily usable, once an general overview is appreciated. Clicking on the main heading of interest, leads quickly to a clean page, which has the main story dominant. Other key links remain in a left side column.

The Main Online Toolbar includes key material of interest to a large demographic:

• News
• Features and Opinions
• Reviews
• Subscriptions
• Advertising
• Archive
• Contact Us

The homepage also includes links to:

• Latest News
• Special Report
• Blogs and Columnists - including Editor's Briefing and Anna Arco's Diary
• Features
• Catholic Life
• Opinion
• Subscribe

This online newspaper would be of considerable assistance for church marketing personnel, both as an online website example, as well as from the news' worthiness of the content for local parish information. Remember to always respect copyright laws and ethics.

'Church Marketing Personnel Learn from Britain's Catholic Herald Newspaper' was written by Bryan Foster author of Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed) 2010, an easy to read and implement 320 A4 paged summarised e-book manual.

Archdiocese of NY Impressive Website for Church Marketing

The Archdiocese of New York has a wonderful website which should inspire any church marketing personnel.

The personable visual image of Archbishop Timothy Dolan links to his well constructed and diversified personal blog. We are openly invited from the blog link on the homepage to engage through this digital communication format as "God is everywhere even on the blog!"

The website's clean, crisp presentation says 'professional' so very clearly. It has a very welcoming and inviting appeal. This easy to read and use homepage links to various pages including:

• Archbishop Timothy Dolan - Blog, Learn More About the Archbishop, Archbishop's Homilies
• The Catholic Channel
• The World Needs Heroes - linked to NYPriest.com
• Stewardship Appeal
• Events Calendar
• News and Press Releases
• Offices
• Charities
• Education
• Pastoral
• Seminary
• Ways to Give
• Other Links

Regular podcasts from 'The Catholic Channel' are also linked from this homepage. The Archbishop's weekly 'A Conversation with the Archbishop' program includes the Archbishop answering your emails and discussing various topics, archdiocesan events and Church issues. Programs provided here are diversified and presented by various clergy, religious and lay personnel. (You will need certain software installed to receive these, though. Links are provided.)

Archbishop Timothy Dolan was installed as Archbishop of NY on April 15, 2009 after serving as Archbishop of Milwaukee since 2002.

Church marketing personnel will be inspired by this website. The site exudes professionalism. It says 'welcome - come and view.' The tabs are contemporary, topical and easily found. All linked material is more than appropriate and often necessary for all dioceses and churches.

The Archdiocese of New York exempliary website for church marketing personnel blog post was written by Bryan Foster author of Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed) 2010.

Internet and Church Marketing

The Internet and Church Marketing chapter includes Samples and Instructions to assist the Church marketing personnel with contemporary marketing methods.

The internet provides so many church marketing opportunities that are:

• very contemporary
• popular with a significant and ever-increasing number of our church community
• ever-growing in possibilities
• often inexpensive or free
• fun!

The modern church and parish needs to be actively involved with many of these internet opportunities, otherwise they will unnecessarily fall behind the interest level and communication methods of an ever-growing number of our parishioners – with what could be serious ramifications for all concerned.

The CHALLENGE has been issued!

Headings

Website
Website Management Software Sample
RSS Feeds
SEOs
Blogs
Emails
e/i-Newsletters and e/i-Flyers
Social Networking Websites
Video Uploads
Chat Rooms
Skype

These internet and church marketing applications may be found in detailed summaried point form in the 'Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed)' 2010 by Bryan Foster.

'The Catholic Leader' Newspaper - National Leader in Religious Journalism

The Catholic Leader newspaper is a national leader in journalistic integrity and diversity. It is the nation's best selling religious newspaper. The Catholic Leader is sold both as a hardcopy, as well as having a significant online presence.

Editor Peter Bugden has been successfully editing this paper since 2007. He succeeded Marcus Kuczynski who was the editor since since 1997.

The newspaper focusses on international, national, regional and local community stories relevant to not only Catholics but all interested people, especially Christians. However, the primary focus is Catholic.

Stories range from detailed features to informative stories. Colorful photographs enhance the stories and advertisments.

A large variety of advertising topics lead readers to a substantial diversity of resources of interest, including various service offerings, upcoming events and print and electronic texts.

The Catholic Leader plays an integral part for the Archdiocese of Brisbane. It is a primary means of communication for the archdiocese.

'The Catholic Leader Newspaper - national leader in religious journalism' was written by Bryan Foster author of Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed) 2010.

Church Marketing Plan needs Successful Church Websites and Management Software

Websites - The church / parish website and website management software are becoming one of the most important needs of a church marketing plan and forms the basis of marketing the church / parish. It is often where parish information is initially found.

The website is often one of the first places that potential families and parishioners get an overall feel and basic appreciation of the potential for their involvement in parish life.


Creating a Website - Background

Investigation in this area is critical.

The church will need expertise to create and then continually update a good website.

The initial construction of the website may come from staff, IT skilled parishioners, school IT staff or from outside consultants.

The continual updating would best be done within the parish. In-servicing staff for making these updates would be money well spent.

An option, I have found very beneficial, follows.


Management Software

Another option is to have the website embedded in to management software which allows for management of the site. This takes the site beyond the static and into the realm of continual fluid development – Web 2.0.

The expense of this option is not considerable and with negotiation within the field a reasonable monthly cost would be expected. I would suggest speaking with trusted others in deciding on the businesses offering this support. (See ‘Website Management Software Sample’ in 'Internet Applications...' chapter for a specific example.)

This software allows for various detailed reports of website usage. It could include:

• the whereabouts in the world of visitors to your site
• number of webpages they visited
• the content viewed from webpages and applications they visited
• where they entered and exited the website
• who is exploring your site, through IP (Internet Protocol) addresses
• the browsers they used to link to your website
• any commercial activities you may have as part of your website, etc.

This allows for the non-IT expert to update the website regularly, from uploading photos, literature items, to adding webpages, blogs, galleries of photos and videos, etc.

There are numerous other capacities depending on the management software.

More detail on the necessities of Websites for Churches and Website Management Software to successfully marketing the church may be found in the e-book: Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed) 2010 by Bryan Foster.

Church Marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

To gain higher positioning at various search engines, church marketing personnel need various methods of SEO (Search Engine Optimization / Optimisation).

Website Viewers

Some churches and parishes aren't really interested in having their website visited from people all over the world. These worshipping communities are more interested in their local congregations. For these people SEOs are not needed.

Various communities might like their website to be easily accessible to people from various parts of their particular country but not necessarily beyond their borders. This allows for people transferring to their parish to preview what their parish has to offer. A suggestion for these communities would be to select a domain name which ends in their countries code e.g. United Kingdom .uk, for Australia .au, etc.

Other communities may be interested in having their church and their website open worldwide. SEOs would likely suit these churches.

Suggestions for SEO Improvement

Some ways I have found which I believe help with Search Engine Optimization are:

* The Domain name includes the church / parish name and suburb.
* Key Words such as the church / parish name are regularly used throughout the site, particularly in titles / headings, first sentence and last sentence on each webpage.
* Each webpage within the website would highlight something different about the parish and hence also include other key words associated both with the parish name / suburb and that webpage's emphasis.
These other Key Words may be: sacrament, parishioner, visitor, Baptism, Marriage, mass times, contact, parish priest, priests, parish kit, open day, school or welfare groups within the parish, etc.
* Each Blog's title, first and last sentences would include key words associated with that individual blog‟s message and that it eventuated from your parish.
*The more links coming to your website from other sources, particularly .gov, .edu and .org the better. Having other sites point to your website helps SEO i.e. having other sites have your Domain / URL linked live on their website.
However, it is best not to swap links with others of similar level e.g. .org. That is, if each site has the other‟s site linked from their site, this usually causes it to neutralize the impact for both sites.
Yet swapping these links may improve traffic to your site, just not higher SEO.
* Include links within your own site to various other webpages on your site.
* Another way of achieving the links from other sites may be achieved by developing various Blogs elsewhere which include the link to your website. (More on this in Blogs later.)
* Be careful not to overdo all these links and key words as search engines may penalize you for being overambitious in gaining notice for your website.
* Age of the website. Older sites have more credibility. Develop your website as soon as possible.
* Update your site regularly. A fresh, updated site is appealing to both visitors and for SEO.

These suggestions come from Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed), 2010, by Bryan Foster

e-Book Helping to Bring People Back to Church

The Catholic Leader newspaper, the leading Church newspaper in Australia, this weekend featured the new Church Marketing e-Book by Bryan Foster in its hardcopy edition.

The Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed), 2010, was released earlier this year.

Fr Dan Ryan PP and Sonya Slater, Parish Administrator, from the Surfers Paradise Parish on the Gold Coast, Australia, have bought multiple copies (10) of the e-book for their parish pastoral council.

The Catholic Leader featured Fr Dan Ryan's and Sonya Slater's thoughts on the e-book and how they plan to use it.

“I find Bryan Foster’s new e-book will help considerably with marketing our Catholic parishes in the modern world. I am especially drawn to the chapters on Parish – School relationships and the uses of the internet, in particular the parish website,” said Fr Dan Ryan, Parish Priest.

“From relationships with our schools to communicating with our parishioners through to web design and blogs, this e-book gives strategies for growth opportunities within our parish,”said Sonya Slater, Parish Administrator.

“I would highly recommend this e-book to other parishes as a tool which could be used in groups or by the Parish Priest or Parish Administrator.”

The e-book is available from either of Bryan's websites at CPM and SMA. Or by contacting Bryan through email at bryan.foster@optusnet.com.au and making other arrangements.

The Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed) by Bryan Foster was this weekend featured in Australia's foremost Church newspaper, The Catholic Leader.