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If I were listening to your church or organization, would I come away thinking it was all about you?
Whether it’s your website, your email list, your social media presence, your bulletin, or whatever, it can’t be all about you. And if you make it all about you, then you will be the only one actually listening in the end.
Too many organizations use their communication channels to only promote themselves (their events, their campaigns, their thoughts, etc.). Then they wonder why people stop listening or reading their stuff. People don’t sign up for your information or visit your website to just hear about you.
They want to be helped. They want to hear about others. They want to be entertained. They want to be inspired. They want to be engaged. They want to receive things that are practical and useful for their lives. They want to make a real connection with you and your organization.
You should spend most of your communications efforts providing value to others, not asking others to provide value to you. That’s why so many fundraising campaigns are such failures. They are not done within the greater context of a meaningful relationship. In fact, sometimes the *only* time organizations communicate with their members outside of normal meetings is to ask them for money. These organizations are typically struggling for monetary support and it’s easy to see why. They are talking about themselves way too much, and not communicating the value they provide to others.
Instead, spend 90% your communications giving and relating to others, then, when 10% of the time you ask for something back or talk about yourself, your members will be more than willing to listen and support you. Remember, people are not attracted to things that are all about you. And if your organization exists only to serve itself, then close up shop and start something worth starting. Your organization should be about serving others. Your communications must reflect that.
Your members want a relationship – a real relationship. And that won’t happen if all you ever do is talk about yourself.
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