Outreach 2.0 ...

By now you have likely dabbled in new media tools for outreach if you haven't jumped in head first. Maybe you launched a blog, created a few online videos or recorded some podcasts. Whatever the case, it's important to remember that all of technology is simply tools and that there's a strategic thread running through the most successful implementation of every new media tool: content.

The Wikipedia.com definition for content is: "information and experiences created by individuals, institutions and technology to benefit audiences in contexts that they value." For our purposes I expand on this definition a bit to say that online content for promotion is any information, idea, experience or digital good that will have value to the individual without the perceived primary objective being an advertisement, offer, proposition or call to action.

For instance, a series of videos on a church Web site with short "How to be a better parent" videos would be content. A promotional video that just tells about the programs and ministries of the church is not. This is not to say, however, that at the end of the “how-to” video there couldn't be information about the church's ministries. The difference is that the content (in this case a video) is primary and the promotion is secondary. The content earns the attention for the promotion. In essence you've given something of value away so you can ask for something in return, like the chance to tell about your church and request that people attend.

Content is only as good as its value to another person. High value content is therefore considered high-quality content and the opposite is true as well. Low value content is low-quality content. The correlation between value and quality is inescapable.

There are three easy categories to remember when you're thinking about developing valuable content: Is the content helpful, hopeful or humorous? This is certainly not an exhaustive list of all types of beneficial content, but I've found it to be a quick reference to gauge whether something will be perceived as valuable.

• Helpful - Is the content you're creating going to help a person in any way? Maybe it's going to give them knowledge or perspective they didn't have before. Maybe it will teach or train them to do something they want to learn. Helpful content helps people. It's not a difficult concept to understand, but it could be easily overlooked as a content option. It's not an accident that LifeHacker.com (a blog with tips for everyday life) is the sixth most popular blog in the world, according to Technorati.com. 

• Hopeful – Hopeful content is encouraging, touching or inspiring. As a church, this should be an easy one for you. Look around and identify the areas where your church is giving the hope that only Jesus can give, and start using new media tools to let your community know. If you're not sure about the tone to use to convey this message, you can look to the approach that Hallmark has used for years and more recently Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

• Humorous - We've probably seen more than our fair share of funny online videos, stories or pictures and have likely recommended a bunch too. Humor is one of the easiest ways to create valuable content and has a high likelihood of being passed along as well. Making people laugh is valuable especially when you convey a spiritual truth with it. Last summer eMarketer.com studied this topic and showed that the most watched online videos are humorous. Be warned here: Don't simply create funny content for the sake of being funny, but know that it's a means toward communicating truth that impacts people's lives.

What are you doing to create content with the purpose of reaching out to your community? Have you identified the first tool you will use? Will you start with helpful content, hopeful content or humorous content?

Bill Seaver is the president of MicroExplosion Media where he consults businesses and ministries in the development and implementation of new media strategies. For questions or article topic requests contact Bill at Bill@microexplosion.com.

-Outreach magazine, "Web Exclusives," January/February 2008

©2007 Outreach Publishing. All rights Reserved. Usage and reprint permissions.