In today’s growing digital culture, it is more important than ever for the Church to keep up with the times in order to reach people for the Kingdom. Many churches have integrated technology into their day-to-day communications and are looking for knowledgeable, qualified individuals to oversee their digital media and the marketing of their brand. Some titles for this position may be Church Communication Director or Creative Arts Pastor. How can you prepare yourself to pursue this type of ministry job? At Visible Music College we have a program to combine the study of both digital media and marketing.Contents:
Most design work commissioned by churches, Christian organizations, and Christian patrons is meant to speak to Christian audiences specifically. Regardless of the audience, God’s beauty demands attention, so the greatest artists are sought after to help tell the greatest stories. Some more recent pieces of commissioned art can be seen at the Sacred Art Gallery.In today’s world, however, the most common form of communicating and sharing is done digitally. Graphic design is the vehicle that currently transports most messages.In an interview about the role of graphic design in the church, Emily Carlton says that “design can help people to understand the Gospel more clearly than they would otherwise. This is true even if the design isn’t overly noticeable. In its subtlety, good design still highlights the church’s mission.”One of the most powerful uses of design can be seen in the branding of churches. ArtSpeak Creative has done several branding guides and helped rebrand churches around the world.
When you think of marketing, you may not automatically jump to the idea of “church,” but there are many ways in which a church can utilize marketing to reach people for Christ. Marketing is not all about money, but is rather about getting your content and resources out to the public. For a church to do this, they need a person or team who is knowledgeable in marketing. While most colleges offer programs that exclusively focus on business marketing or social media marketing, Visible Music College offers programs that tailor your education to the marketing needs of a church or ministry.
So when we combine these two concepts of digital media and marketing, we have a new focus of merging digital media with traditional marketing concepts. “Digital Marketing” is now increasingly more popular of a focus for individuals seeking employment in both ministry and mainstream business. To attain a job title like Creative Director, Creative Arts Pastor, Digital Media Manager, and others, it is essential to have the right training that can focus on both the digital media aspect and the marketing aspect. At Visible, we have certificates, bachelor’s, and master’s programs to fit this need.
Twenty years ago, no one would have considered that social media would become what it is today, much less that they could seek a degree in it! But social media has become such a key part of business and ministry communication. It is a large part of study in a digital media degree. For the church digital media manager, social media is more than making a few posts with announcements. It requires much, much more. A degree in digital marketing is a tool to prepare for this type of position.
An aesthetically pleasing, well-functioning website is integral for any institution. When people view a social media post and click a link for more information, they are redirected to a website that is informational, user-friendly, and not overwhelming! A digital media degree would dissect the training needed to create this type of website. Knowledge of graphic design and marketing is core to this training as well.
One of the principles of good marketing is knowing your audience. Who are you marketing to? What do these individuals need and need to know? One way to know what people need is by finding out what they search for on the internet. Someone who understands marketing from this standpoint is invaluable to a ministry team. They can help put the right information in the right places that is accessible to those who need it.
What is content marketing? It is promoting online and digital material that exists to create interest in a company’s products or services. In the case of a church or ministry, this would include social media content, video content, and many other types. The idea of content marketing creates a seamless blend of both digital media and marketing.
In this day and age, communication is no longer two dimensional. There are many factors to consider when trying to manage the church communication and branding. The ideas of digital media and marketing are married together for creative pastors and media managers, so they need people who are schooled in both. At Visible Music College, we have the means to prepare you for this ever-changing role in the form of certificates, bachelor’s programs, and master’s programs.
Discover the possibilities with Creative Leadership such as the Creative Arts, Content Creation and other ministry leadership platforms at Visible.
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