Hello! It’s Friday and welcome to this week’s social media brief. This week, we have stories about Flash, QR Codes, Facebook Ads, and that buzzing sound from your phone. Plus, this Monday on the Ask Darrel Podcast we’ll talk about to get your pastor on social media.
Google unveils buy button, host of new shopping features
What this means for your church: It’s smart for Google to get into this space. Search for something, see an ad with what you’re looking for, then click and buy it. What I think would be interesting is if churches could run the same ads but be able to ask for donations, especially in cases like disaster relief.
Millennial Consumers Aren’t Who You Think They Are
What this means for your church: Churches need to understand that they’re no longer creating ads, but instead telling stories. The churches that succeed with millennials are the ones who tell compelling stories that act as ads because they motivate the viewer to take action.
Report: 63% Of Users Consider Twitter And Facebook A Source Of News
What this means for your church: Count me in the 63%. If people are consistently looking for news on social media, what does this mean for your church website? Are people going to assume that what’s important for your church is going to end up in their newsfeed? There’s no correct answer to these questions, but we need to keep them in the back of our mind.
Twitter article previews now auto-expand on mobile devices
What this means for your church: Interesting concept of using previews of articles on Twitter user feeds. I really hope this becomes accessible to everyone. It will be great for providing a more rich advertising experience for churches.
Just Hearing Your Phone Buzz Hurts Your Productivity
What this means for your church: I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of material on how our brains are being shaped by notifications we get from technology. While I’d like to think I’m immune to the buzzing of my phone, I know that if this effects the way I work, it will also effect the way I worship. Can you say the same?
Mozilla blocks all Flash in Firefox after third zero-day
What this means for your church:This is good news. Flash continues to become more an annoyance for users and it should be laid to rest. If you’re church as a website that uses Flash, you need to seriously consider rebuilding the website.
Is QR Code On The Verge of Extinction in the Mobile Arena?
What this means for your church: Just like Flash, the QR code needs to go away. I never seen it as a good user experience. However, the idea of Clickable Paper (as mentioned in the article), has some real potential.
Facebook updates its cost-per-click definition to only include clicks to websites and apps
What this means for your church:This is great news if you buy ads on Facebook. This means that you’ll only pay for when someone clicks on your ad and leaves Facebook. Previously you were charged if people just saw the ad (impressions). This new advertising option can help you ensure that you’re getting the most out of your marketing budget.