It’s no secret that the digital world is constantly changing at a breakneck pace; it can be hard to keep up with everything your church needs to do to adapt to growing digital needs!

Software can help your church keep up with all the changes in the digital space; you don’t even need to be an expert in building websites or email marketing! You can experience digital transformation in just a few clicks with the right software options.

Here’s how your church’s software can help you adapt to the growing digital needs of your staff, members, and visitors.

Staying Up to Date

In a fast-paced digital world with expanding needs, your church needs to be able to stay up to date at the drop of a hat—whether you’re addressing a time-sensitive need or making last-minute changes to an event.

Ability to Pivot Quickly

One of the benefits that church membership software gives you is the ability to pivot quickly when needed. Whether you’re updating a member’s phone number, changing the location of an upcoming event, or sending out last-minute updates about worship, you can do it with just a few clicks.

Instant Communications

Your members live in a world of instant communication. App notifications, text messages, phone calls, emails … There are so many ways to communicate these days! Your church should utilize these channels mindfully to not overload your members, but you can absolutely use them correctly in the right contexts.

It’s important to have a strategy for each communication channel. For example, you should reserve SMS marketing for time-sensitive or emergency updates (like a canceled worship service or event).

Your Members’ Digital Needs

Part of adapting to growing digital needs is doing just that for your members! Times have changed in the past 20 years, and so have the ways your members interact with your church, especially regarding church communications and personal data.

New Communication Preferences

Things like in-person announcements and printed flyers, bulletins, calendars, and newsletters are a tried-and-true way to get the word out about upcoming events. Maybe this is your primary form of communication, you’ve shifted towards mostly digital communication, or perhaps a hybrid of both. Incorporating things like SMS and email communication is an excellent idea for any church communications strategy. This is because it meets your members where they often communicate!

The bottom line is that you need to do what’s best for the members of your church. If no one takes your paper bulletins anymore, perhaps you can transition to a digital-only strategy. However, if you eliminated paper bulletins but have had members feel disconnected, bringing them back could be beneficial.

Privacy

In an age where personal data is often being shared on different software, protecting your members’ data is of paramount importance. Your church management software should engage in privacy best practices so that your members’ personal information is secure.

Ensure that all software your church uses has the most up-to-date security practices in place. Additionally, make sure your office staff is briefed on security best practices, such as setting secure passwords, turning on two-factor authentication, and keeping all sensitive information confidential.

Engagement and Interaction

Most engagement and interaction that your members, guests, and prospective visitors have with your church will happen online first. Before they ever set foot in your building, they’ve likely scoped you out online.

Mobile-First World

Your potential first-time visitors are living in a mobile-first world—most people use their phones for the majority of their Internet searches, including finding a new church. With that in mind, all of your digital assets should be created with a mobile-first mentality.

This means that your website, church management software, and emails should all be designed to be able to be read on a phone. Many website builders, like Church360° Unite, can easily create a mobile-friendly version of your site with just a few clicks.

Additionally, you should ensure that all of your email communications are mobile-friendly as well. Most email marketing software options will automatically do this for you, but it’s important to double-check!

You can always check in your website builder and email software to see what percentage of people are viewing your website or emails on desktop versus mobile. The numbers might shock you and motivate you to make a mobile-first strategy! But on the flip side, you might see that the majority of your members and visitors view your digital communications on desktop, which might mean you don’t need to prioritize a mobile-first strategy at this moment.

How People Find You

Along these same lines, you need to understand how people find your church and the channels they’re interacting with you on.

One of the most popular but underrated ways people find churches near them is via Google Maps and Apple Maps! Ensure your name, address, phone number, and website are up to date on these platforms.

Of course, your website is another way that people find you via looking for churches on Google or another search site. You’ll need to optimize your site for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that people can find you! And, as we’ve talked about, your website should be optimized for mobile use.

Manage member information, send timely communications, and strengthen engagement with software designed for your ministry. See how Church360° Members can help your congregation adapt to today’s digital expectations.