COMMUNICATION PLAYBOOK www.amplifiedimpact.org
WHAT S INCLUDED? Snapshot 2 Our visions, mission and values Context 3 Our Community, Perceptions and Needs Target Audience 4 Avatar and UVP Brand Values & Voice 5 Brand Style, Communication Values, Brand Language & Voice Vehicles & Delivery 9 Communication Vehicles & Channels Marketing Channels 12 Overlay of Emphasis Categories and Communication Channels Guardrails & Guidelines 14 Targeted Emails, Social Media, Texting Minors & Writing for the Web 1
SNAPSHOT Our Vision: Impact people in the with the message of Jesus Christ, starting in the Washington D.C. area. And you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1:8 Our Mission: We help people far from God experience faith in Christ. I am not ashamed of the message of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16 Our UVP: We help people far from God experience life in Christ by creating environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue intimacy with God and community with each other. 2
CONTEXT Our Community The community our church is located in is very busy with limited time. Most families are dual income households. When they are not working, they are generally driven by their children s activities. There is a mix or faith backgrounds and ethnicities that spread the gamut. Peceptions Perceptions (accurate or inaccurate) people in the community have about our church. Accurate Perceptions: Our church historically has been more inward focused, we used to be connected to a larger denomination, we put on good community events, we are focused on lifting the name of Jesus Inaccurate Perceptions: Our Children s Ministry is unsafe, we are not welcoming to unbelievers, we are connected to a larger denomination, we re irrelevant, we are a cult Community Needs Minor trafficking prevention Community building events After school care Sports fields Teaching ESL 3
OUR TARGET AUDIENCE We welcome everyone to our church and want to be able to engage people of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds, etc. Since styles and preferences vary widely from different groups, when a decision or choice must be made we will lean toward our target audience. Target Audience Our target audience is early 30 s male that is married with a young family. He works as a consultant but wants to do work that really matters. If we can get him to church, then his whole family will usually follow. Avatar Typical Ted is a fictional avatar of who we are trying to reach. 4
BRAND VALUES & VOICE Always include our church name or contact information on every piece you distribute. Example: Grace Church 1234 Faith Highway City, ST 12345 amplifiedimpact.org OR Grace Church amplifiedimpact.org Every communication piece should answer the most important question our audience asks, What s in it for me? Please refer to our Brand Style Guide for more detailed branding information. 5
Communication Values These are our communication values: Concise Our communication should be direct and to the point. People have limited time and attention. Consistency Make sure communication is consistent across platforms, channels and between ministries. Excellence We want to do everything with excellence. Proofread thoroughly and have others review your communication. Partnership Successful communication depends on a partnership between the Communication Ministry and each other ministry. Stories Stories are one of the best ways to communicate and grab attention. Use them often. Sustainable We want to be able to maintain and sustain communication channels in place. Make sure the systems and processes are in place before starting a new initiative. 6
Brand Language Ministry Specific Grace Church Children s Ministry College Ministry Youth Ministry Personal Finance Ministry Worship Service Preferred Verbiage HOT Worship Service Small Groups Team Ministry Serve, Volunteer Guest, Visitor Next Step Next Generation Recruit, Opportunity, Explore NOT Worship Meeting Be Released Care Groups, Life Groups Program Non-member 7
Our Brand Voice This describes our brand voice when writing communication for various platforms and mediums. Regardless of the author, the communication should generally reflect this brand voice for consistency. Brand Voice Persona Friendly, encouraging Tone Honest, humorous, enthusiastic, optimistic Language Simple, fun, reverent Purpose Engage, inform, inspire and motivate Please refer to our Brand Style Guide for more detailed branding information. 8
VEHICLES & DELIVERY These are our preferred vehicles of communication and the types of communication vehicles we avoid. HOT Grace logo Website Facebook Online invitations Email e-newsletter Event Fact Sheet Less NOT Paper Bookmarks Ministry logos Ministry brochures Event brochures What else can we add? What s cool? More 9
Communication Channels These are our primary communication channels: Announcement in the Service - 100 words Bulletin - 50 words Children s Check-in stations Children s ministry Church Email Newsletter - 30 words Facebook Ads Lobby Table Pre-Service Slide - 10 words Press Release Promo Card - 75 words Small groups Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - 140 characters (Twitter) Youth Ministry Targeted Emails The City Website calendar Website home page - 10 words 10
Emphasis Categories These are our emphasis categories: High Emphasis Broad (church-wide communications, about 500+ people) Staff resources are committed Elder led or significant Elder involvement Medium Emphasis More targeted communications (about 50-250 people) Some staff resources are committed Mix of Elder-led and staff/member-le Light Emphasis Very targeted communications (about 5-49 people) Limited or no staff resources are committed Member-led with Elder oversight 11
MARKETING CHANNELS 12
PROMOTION EXAMPLES These are the communication channels available for each ministry, meeting, or activity listed. It does not necessarily reflect where each falls on the list of the church s priorities or the amount of office staff time that will be committed to each one. High Emphasis: Website homepage, website calendar, social media, The City, Sunday announcements, bulletin, church email newsletter, targeted emails, lobby table, press release, pre-service slide Medium Emphasis: Website calendar, social media, The City, Sunday announcements, bulletin, church email newsletter, targeted emails, lobby table, pre-service slide Light Emphasis: Website calendar, social media, The City, church email newsletter, targeted emails, lobby table, pre-service slide 13
GUARDRAILS & GUIDELINES This is space for you to write out additional guidelines. Who can utilize these areas? What are the requirements? Who needs to approve them? What general guidelines do you have when using these areas? Targeted Email In order to reduce email clutter, build trust with our members, and streamline communication, we have policies regarding targeted emails promoting an event or ministry: Targeted emails should not come from the church general email account but from a staff person s email address who will clearly be identified as the sender and can answer the questions for that email. Only two targeted group emails for each event they must be sent at least two weeks apart Targeted emails should not exceed 200 people (or they are not very targeted). If the list is over 100 people, the Communication Director should review the email content, text and graphics to make sure they are in line with our communication manual. Always use spell check, send a test email, and have two other people review your content before sending. Social Media Any photos or video containing children or students that are posted online should follow these guidelines: Get permission from parents when possible/if applicable. (Easy to get permission with checkbox during children/student registrations and/or photo release form) 14
For children, make sure you don't use their name and/or that their name tag isn't visible in any way. Protect their identity at all costs. Anonymity is a value for children. For students, same as above, but once they're over 13 Facebook becomes a vehicle to be aware of. As a church, we never tag someone under 18. It's fine if they want to tag themselves, but as an added layer of protection, the church shouldn't be tagging the identity of minors. Texting Minors In regards to texting minors: Be aware of volume and exclusivity. Example: If you are a male, be sure that you're not the only leader texting a female student and/or that text volume isn't excessive. Be conservative and inclusive (text groups over individuals if possible, etc.) To model well and represent good guardrails, avoid texting students before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m. if possible. Website A few guidelines for website copy: Break text into bite-sized pieces for quick and easy consumption. Bullet points and short phrases are better than full sentences. Be direct. Use active voice. Avoid using click on or click here language. Just make the action phrase or subject a hyperlink. Example: Register now. (not Click here to register. ) 15
APPLICATION Correct: We offer two worship services for students in Youth Ministry: Jr. High Sunday, 5:00 p.m. Sr. High Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Wrong: We have student worship services at two different times. You can choose the time that fits with the age of your students. The first Sunday service at 5:00 p.m. is for Jr. High School students. The second Sunday service is at 6:30 p.m. for Sr. High School students. We ve had services at these times for about four years. Both services are part of our Youth Ministry. 16