All posts tagged Dawn Nicole Baldwin

Dawn Nicole Baldwin is a strategist with a passion to help churches reach people more effectively. She lives this out as founder and lead strategist of AspireOne and as a senior partner with Jarbyco, a mobile communications firm specializing in live events that works with organizations such as Park Community Church, Lifechurch.tv and Youth Specialties.

A former staff member of Big Idea Productions [creators of VeggieTales] and Willow Creek, Dawn Nicole frequently contributes to today’s leading-edge thinking of integrating Christianity and culture but is best known as a change agent who is intent on stretching imaginations, connecting people and making a difference.

Dawn participated in the M2LIVE webinar series sharing on 5 Ways Social Media Can Kill Your Brand. Here’s my notes and you can check out Dawn’s here.

• Over 500 billion minutes per month are being spent on Facebook.
• One of the fastest-growing demographics is middle-aged women.
• Twitter is growing fastest in the age 12-16 demographic.
• People are now connecting with brands through social media.
• Everything is moving mobile.
• Over 30% of people who are connecting to social media are doing it through their smartphones and mobile devices.
• Hear how Park is using texting.
• Technology can be leveraged for “holy” things.
• Some churches are allowing people to text in prayer requests.

1 – To be unprepared

• Organizations are rushing into the space out of a fear of being left behind.
• Since social media is free, many people are jumping into it without thinking about why.
• “If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.”
• Being unprepared will kill your brand.
• So many people are throwing darts without a bulls eye in mind.
• We have to have a clear, defined target.
• Planning is a key component of effectively using social media.
• There is no perfect fix.

2 – Having the wrong people lead it.

• Social media channels can get delegated down to the wrong person.
• It’s not the job for a tech person… they often don’t have the larger picture in mind.
• You need to look at social media as one of the first ways your church interacts with the public.
• Whoever is spearheading you communication channels needs to be involved in the flow of social media.
• Social media isn’t a siloed function of organizations.
• You have to have a cohesive identity in how you are expressed in social media.
• The people you put in leadership of social media will be “brand ambassadors” for your organization.
• Social media isn’t a task to tackle.
• It’s not an item on your checklist.
• Communications is another channel to deliver your vision.

3 – It’s not set it and forget it.

• It’s not uncommon for organizations to set up multiple accounts but have no one championing it.
• “If you build it they will come” doesn’t work anymore.
• If you build it, they expect a response.
• Silence on social media is worse than not having a social media presence.
• Every communications channel has its own rhythm.
• Content is king when it comes to blogs.
• Audience interaction determines the rhythm of other channels.
• Check Facebook and twitter hourly and daily and respond when appropriate.
• It changes the way we communicate and will impact our daily activities.
• Social media isn’t something everything should do.
• How does it fit around what you do well?

4 – Not Adding Value

• SPAM applies to content.
• People are looking value.
• Don’t just repeat what people have already heard.
• Leverage it to give new, relevant information to your audience.
• It’s not about YOU, it’s about your audience.
• How can you meet their needs?
• Social media is a two-way conversation.
• It’s also a listening tool to connect with your audience.
• You don’t have to always know the answer.

5 – Expecting miracles.

• Technology isn’t the end-all-be-all.
• Social media isn’t a substitute for other media channels.
• Print still has a place in most places.

Some examples of social media impact:

• Greenpeace vs Nestle
• OldSpice YouTube campaign
• TSA backlash

Closing Thoughts

• People have always had conversations but social media gives people a public platform to amplify them.
• Google removed front doors. It made everything accessible.
• Don’t get overwhelmed… you don’t have to do everything at once.
• Think through what you want to accomplish and how it fits who you are as a church.
• Does it matter to the people you are trying to reach?
• Planning will help your efforts become more fruitful and effective.
• Choose channels that are manageable. Try one at a time.
• Experiment and let people know about it.
• Experimenting gives you freedom to adjust.
• Don’t be afraid to collect information.
• Don’t be afraid to ask people questions to find the right channel.
• Conversation beats everything.