The Game Has Changed

 “Somebody Dropped the Ball”

Those of us on the Communications Committee at St. Mark Presbyterian have heard that several times this past year referring to poor attendance to church events open to the public.  No one has “dropped the ball”, but the game has changed.  10-15 years ago, there was one ball: advertising a church event was easy---we bought an ad in the newspaper.  Sorry, newspaper readers, but few people read the newspaper anymore and ads are not worth the expense.

Hundreds of websites and social media platforms have replaced the newspaper.  We are trying to play the same basketball game but with hundreds of balls. The good is these sites are usually free advertising, the bad is there are hundreds of them.  Our Communications Committee can’t possibly know them all, so we just focus on a few:  Blog, Facebook, Twitter, the Patch, Pinterest, Instagram, Website.

The real solution is YOU!   Word of mouth advertising is still the best.  Whether you call a friend, make an announcement in your Water Aerobics class, or share a posting on Facebook, YOU are an important part of our advertising. 

Yes, simple word of mouth, picking up a phone, forwarding an e-mail, liking a Facebook page, re-tweeting an announcement are very important for all events in the life of St. Mark Presbyterian Church.  We all have to work harder.  There is an old-fashioned word for this: EVANGELISM, individuals spreading the Word, telling the Good News.

If you “like” something we put on Facebook, many of your friends see it too---especially church friends who may have the announcement lost in their feed.  If you “share” it, then all of your friends see it. If you simply read it, it stops with you and eventually Facebook will stop showing you our messages because it thinks you aren't interested.  The success of social media depends on individuals being social. 

We will continue to promote church events, though, and we will continue to depend upon each of you to be part of our team, not only to the rest of the congregation, but to the surrounding community as well.  Thank you for continuing to share our good news.