Leveraging the Power of the Christian “Blog Site”
June 27th, 2008 Categories: Church Marketing
People often get wrapped around the axles when they consider utilizing a blog to replace or refreshen their existing web presence. The rub, in my humble opinion, is that people think of the traditional blog with all of it’s subtle limitations and decide that it’s just too scary to step away from the safety and security of those static pages. The problem, of course, is that in order to get a result that you’ve never had (ie, people reading your website) you’ve got to do something that you’ve never done before (like put interesting, frequently updated content on it).
Introducing the “Blog Site.” It’s not a new concept. In fact, it’s a very well tested concept developed by our good friends over at the Real Estate Tomato. Here’s the general idea of what a blog site is, and what it includes:
Unlimited Static Pages: You say that you need the cross-functionality of having a blog to draw traffic and having static pages to display products (for Christian businesses) or display Church meeting times, etc. Easy. We have developed the ability to create unlimited static pages around the blog template, so you can have the best of both worlds. You want to have people land on a static information or introduction page before going to the blog? Simple.
In addition, we’ve developed the ability to create post/page combinations in a truly unique and proprietary way that we call “Dyno Cats.” Nobody else in the world that we know of has this unique capability.
All the power of the blog: Totally optimized, web 2.0, SEO mojo at your complete disposal to do with as you please. Combining the static pages with the blog pages does nothing to diminish the SEO power of the blog as the only legitimate platform to result in total web domination for your sphere of influence. In fact, in some really weird but pretty awesome ways, it’s actually complements the power of the blog by providing a stability and resourcefulness that isn’t usually associated with the blog.
A One Time Expenditure: The product costs about the same amount of cash as having a website professionally designed, but it’s a one-time expenditure. Once we’re done building the blog and training you to use it, you will never have to pay another dime for design, content management, etc. The system is so intuitive that you will be able to upload your own content at the click of the mouse button. You’ll be totally self sufficient.
That being said, if you’re using our hosting services and tech support there will be a small fee for that. It’s the cost of doing business. And, if you get the itch to totally re-design your blog site once per year, you’ll have to pay the designer for the new skin. Designers, I’ve found, don’t like to work for free. But as long as you stay with the original design, you will never need to shell out another penny on your blog.
So, get a blog site. It’s a more cost-efficient way to create a lasting web presence that people care about. The end result of that endeavor, of course, will be online dominance and more butts in pews, more products sold, etc.
We Build Blogs
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Grace Community Fellowship Now Podcasting Sermons and Prophetic Words
June 26th, 2008 Categories: Positive Press
I just wanted to let everybody know that we’re large and in charge in the podcasting department over at the Grace Community Fellowship blog which, of course, is brought to you by the Kingdom 2.0. We’ve hooked them up, and now they’re podcasting sermons, exhortations, and prophetic words that are taking place during their services.
They are going to work on some content, and we’re going to eventually create a “store” where they can offer some of their exclusive teaching series’ for sale via Paypal. That’s evidence that a blog can do anything that a static website can do, usually better. Go on over and check it out.
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How Does Christian Business Blogging Actually Generate Sales?
June 17th, 2008 Categories: Christian Business Blog
Well, it’s time to talk shop for a little while here on the Kingdom 2.0. So far, it’s been all pithy little articles about how much good a blog can do for your Christian business or your Church. Now, we’re going to get into the nuts and bolts of what makes a blog better than a static web site for generating leads (people who want to buy your shiny red widget, or people who want to attend your church, etc).
To kick off the session, we need to identify what it is that creates sales to begin with. If two hardware shops with identical inventory sat side by side on a city street, which one would people shop at and why?
There are actually several factors that would play into that decision, but I submit to you that the two most important factors to me would be trust and personality.
Trust. One of those two hardware store owners is a personal friend of mine. I’ve known him for years. That makes it an easy decision for me, and probably for you as well. I trust that he’ll give me a fair deal, and that he’ll shoot me straight about what I really need to purchase. I know that he won’t take advantage of me because we know one another, and people who know one another simply don’t take advantage. Or so the saga goes.
Personality. Lets say that I don’t know either shop owner, but that the guy in store number two always has a smile on his face or a joke when I line up at the checkouts. My perception is that, all things being equal, I’ll have a better time doing business with this guy, so that’s where I end up spending my money.
SEO is just a junk drawer full of nuts and bolts. You can do something with it in a pinch, but it’s never going to be enough to build something lasting. For that end, you need to leverage your “voice” to convey your trustworthiness and personality.
The fact that blogs work more effeciently in search engines than static web pages is academic at this point. If you don’t believe me, just google it. Google never lies. But that being said, getting web traffic isn’t the end game of the Christian business. Getting sales is.
Most people who responded to my call to action on my real estate blog and became clients eventually said something to the effect of “I feel like I’ve known you for years, and I just really wanted to deal with somebody I could trust.” That’s something that could never have been accomplished with a static page and my resume. It takes voice. It takes a blog.
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Three Ninja Secrets of the Christian Business Blog
June 13th, 2008 Categories: Christian Business Blog
Ahhh….welcome, young grasshopper. I see that your training has led you to this blog post. Congratulations. Your journey is almost finished.
You have no doubt already answered life’s great questions by now: What is the meaning of life? What is my life’s calling? What happened to that other black sock? Now, you’re ready for the Holy Grail of questions….
What are the ninja secrets of the Christian business blog?
Very good question. There are three ninja secrets of the Christian business blog. They are as follows:
1) A Christian Business blog can do everything a static page can do, but better. It’s kinda like having a ninja basketball player. It’s one thing to be able to dunk, but a ninja player can do the backflip dunk….but I digress. The blog can do anything, absolutely anything, that the static page can do, but with the added functionality of being a Google….well, ninja. It’s sneaky like that.
2) A Christian Business blog can vanquish foes faster than a Chinese star. It’s called market dominance, and you’ll have it after three months of consistently writing about your shiny red widget, or whatever else it is that you sell. Why? Because blogs use special ninja power to leverage search engines to work on your behalf. All you have to do is stay on topic, deliver some quality content, and try not to scare anybody away with your startlingly loud “keeeeee-ya!”
3) A Christian Business Blog can make you smarter and thinner. No, but that would be cool. But it can leverage the time you spend online to make you a lot of money, which will make you feel smarter anyway. He He. Still, the previous two points remain true. Many, many small business owners devote large sums of money to pay-per-click advertising, billboards, newspaper ads, and more. The truth is that those types of leads are only partially qualified when compared to genuine, long tail searchers looking for your exact product. The best way to reach these folks, by and large, is the blog.
How do I get one? It’s weird that you should ask that question. I actually know a guy. He designs cool, beautiful, functional, powerfully optimized blog solutions for Christian businesses. You should write him.
Seriously. Click the link.
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Another Fabulous Kingdom 2.0 Blog Hits The Net
June 12th, 2008 Categories: Church Marketing, Positive Press
We wanted to officially launch the new Grace Community Fellowship blog and welcome the bloggers there to the Kingdom 2.0 team. This blog will serve as a primary example of how blogging can improve ministry, grow churches, and disciple people. I’d highly encourage you all to tune in to the weekly podcasts and see what the Lord is doing in Starke, FL. But then, it’s my church, so I have a biased opinion.
You’ll notice that the Grace site features our standard package of totally custom design, expert layout, and awesome training, so it should feature some pretty good articles as well.
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