Pro Church Podcast With Brady Shearer

Next steps need to be clear to your visitors, as well as your existing congregation. Brady discusses using colour as a solution to the Christianese surrounding connect cards and visitor centres.   What's In This Session? What is Christianese? (0:24) Example: the fellowship desk (1:22) Use colour instead (1:54) Example: a local restaurant (2:15) Applying this to connect cards (4:29)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Tide & Vine Life Abundant Niagara Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/eliminate-form-christianese-welcoming-church-ep-076/.

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.   What's In This Session? Step #1: Take inventory (1:14) Step #2: Assign value (1:50) Step #3: Give credits (3:42) The benefits (5:04)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/ultimate-event-promotion-system-churches-ep-075/.

Storytelling is the most important skill you can learn to help your church grow, succeed, and accomplish your vision and mission. In this episode Brady shares his 3 step storytelling formula.   What's In This Session? #1 - Edit your Instagram name (1:07) #2 - Use Linktr.ee (2:41) #3 - Clickable hashtags & handles in bio   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Linktr.ee Bit.ly Gwinnett Church on Instagram Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-new-instagram-profile-hacks-church-can-make-today-ep-074/.

A common question we receive is how often churches should post on social media. Brady talks about the intersection of quantity and quality and how to use this to determine a number.   What's In This Session? A common way churches sabotage (0:38) New algorithms (1:26) Most churches don't have the resources to post too much (2:21) The intersection of quantity and quality (4:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Elevation Church MeetEdgar SmarterQueue Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/frequently-church-post-social-media-ep-073/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   0:59 - When it comes to our churches Facebook group, what would you recommend as guidelines for things like soliciting from people who own businesses within our church? Should the group be private or public? 7:50 - So if you have 5 announcements on Sunday morning do you tell 5 stories and give 5 call to actions? 11:06 - Do you have any tips when it comes to naming a church or business? 19:23 - Our pastor uses fill in the blank sermon notes each week. Does anyone have a solution for doing this on your smart device?    Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview au

No one will know what your email says if they never open it. Brady and Alex discuss some email best practices that can help boost your email open rates.   What's In This Session? 10/10/80 Subject line testing (0:48) Re-send to those that haven't opened with a different subject line (1:56) Plain text emails (4:52) Purge your email list of dead contacts (6:08) Send at the same time of day and week (8:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned ActiveCampaign MailChimp Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-advanced-tips-boosting-churchs-email-open-rates-ep-072/.

Live chat enables people to get in touch with your church instantly. Brady shares some stories using live chat, and the software they're using to make it happen.     What's In This Session? Justin's story (0:26) The tools (2:09) Nathan's story (2:45) Devin's story (4:12) Owen's story (5:04) Ben's story (5:50)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Drift Intercom Nucleus ForefrontChurch.info Storytape Google AdWords Facebook LiveChat ManyChat.com Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/add-free-live-chat-widget-churchs-website-ep-071/.

Brady discusses a leadership lesson that is very important in his work and personal life - taking responsibility - in this episode of Pro Church Daily.   What's In This Session? Nobody likes someone who makes excuses all the time (0:22) Our haters (0:54) What can I learn? (1:33) You are not your work (3:07) Tiny example: Lily's toothbrush (4:10) Extreme example: Aunt asks about infidelity (4:56) Work example (6:27)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/leadership-lesson-personal-responsibility-ultimate-key-ep-070/.

Brady talks about the marketing of Nucleus, as well as the difference between a bootstrapped company and one with investors, and why being autonomous is so important to us.   What's In This Session? The emails that sparked this episode (0:23) How it normally works (1:46) How Pro Church Tools works (3:00) The Autonomy Advantage (5:43) 80% of Pro Church Nation will never give us a dollar - and we love that! (6:03) How Central is meeting the changing market (8:26)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Squarespace Dropbox Intercom HQ Pro Video Announcements Storytape Central Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/build-1-million-product-zero-funding-ep-069/.

Pre-registration for children of first time guests to your church and your kids' ministry will help streamline the sign in process, and save both your guests and volunteers time. Brady talks through the benefits and the process in this episode.   What's In This Session? Why you should offer pre-registration (1:02) Step #1 - The form (3:24) Step #2 - Follow up (4:28) Step #3 - First time visitor area (5:09)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Nucleus Example Card Nucleus Walkthrough Planning Center People MailChimp Brady Shearer on Instagram Pro Church Tools on Facebook The #AskBrady Show on YouTube Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Twitter Pro Church Podcast on Apple Podcast Elevation Church Hillsong Church   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/offer-pre-registration-church-kids-ministry-online-ep-068/.

Taking the step to attend a church for the first step is a huge step. Asking for their contact information is another big ask. A great thank you gift helps.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Why a free gift? (1:12) It invites your potential new visitor into the act of giving and allows them to make a choice of which charity they want to support (3:16) It demonstrates that you are a generous church that is outwardly focused on the world and community - not inwardly focused on your own self-interests (3:45) As you'll see in the email copy below, by inviting your new visitor into the act of giving, they are required to reply to your welcome email with their charity of choice. By doing this, you'll be marked as a safe sender in this individual's email inbox AND this will help contribute to a better overall email delive

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:00 - Apart from changing the website completely, how can I have a call to action without referring to our website? 5:32 - What do you do with the Let Us Know You’re Coming info as a church of about 600? How do we know which visitor to look out for in the sea of people? 7:14 - I get that everyone wants to know what we’re about by way of a mission statement, but I wonder if some ambiguity could be useful? Any thoughts? 14:06 - Any advice on how to create more interesting captions on Instagram to increase engagement?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview a

The footer of a website is often overlooked, but being one of the only things available on every page, it can be extremely valuable to use this real estate well. Brady discusses what should be included in the footer of a church website.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? #1 - Church Overview Statement (1:48) #2 - Physical Address (2:57) #3 - Email Address (2:57) #4 - Phone Number (2:57) #5 - Social Platform Links (3:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus 2015 B2B Web Usability Report Eye-tracking studies: first impressions form quickly on the web Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-items-ev

A lot of people find and research local businesses online. This means that it is important for your church to rank well in search results. Brady talks about Search Engine Optimization and some easy steps to improve your SEO.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? What is SEO? (0:57) Google My Business (1:43) Facebook Reviews (3:11) Google Reviews (3:11) Keyword Phrase Optimization (5:44) Pingdom Web Tools (7:07)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Moz Backlinko Pingdom Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/5-seo-improvements-can-make-churchs-website-ep-065/.

Your website is your church's main representative online. This is why choosing a great domain is so important. Brady discusses three rules to follow when choosing a domain.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Rule #1: Keep It Short (1:13) Rule #2: Keep It Memorable (1:13) Rule #3: Keep It Easy To Spell (1:13) Be careful with acronyms (2:01) Domain suffix: .com? .org? .church? (4:32)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Centralcc.ca LifeAbundantNiagara.com Storytape.com HopeChurch.xyz Life.Church Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/3-rules-church-domain-names-ep-064/.

Print may not be efficient, but it's not dead. Brady talks about the unique role connect cards play in church communications and his single best tip to get more people to fill it out.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Why is a church connection card so important? (1:19) How few fields can you ask for while still keeping a card relevant? (2:33) Use a connection card as an extension of your central hub (5:28) Some people prefer a physical card (6:35)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Barna What Millennials Want When They Visit Church The Central Hub: Why Every Church Needs One | Ep. #061 The Lobby Kiosk: How To Drive More Next Steps At Church | Ep. #062 7 Perfect Church Connection Card Examples  Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady S

Having a single destination for information makes communication simple and streamlined. Brady talks through some tips on how to make a central hub kiosk work for your church.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Tim's Facebook post (0:50) Why a single destination? (2:19) Tip #1: Use an older person to man the station (3:54) Tip #2: We send out a “What’s Happening” note to all our volunteers serving that week (5:01) Tip #3: Have a list of the days announcements so volunteers are prepped on the most important next steps (6:28) Tip #4: Call your kiosk the name of the URL plus kiosk to ingrain the domain name in your church’s mind (7:30) Set up suggestions (9:17)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Tim's kiosk set up: The Central Hub: Why Every Church Needs One | Ep. #061 Planning Center Mount It! Tablet Stand Lamic

Brady discusses the concept of a central hub. He covers the necessary elements for a central hub, as well as how it can help your church accomplish its vision and mission in the world.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? The best way to accomplish your church's mission is through next steps (0:41) Brady's experience with announcements (1:04) The fewer the choices the better (2:49) Ryan Gosling meme example (3:44) The jam case study (4:00) The key elements of a central hub (6:31)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus Pro Video Announcements Ryan Gosling - What Do You Want? When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full t

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:00 - What do you know about a company called Filmora - a video editing software? 5:32 - What are your thoughts on content used for Instagram & Facebook stories? Same content on both? 7:14 - I’m trying to get into video testimonies/stories of how groups have helped people, what are your methods for learning names and stories for this purpose? 14:06 - What are the advantages to using only one person vs. a different person per announcement? Do you memorize the script? Or use a teleprompter?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow

During the construction of Nucleus Brady has done, and read, tons of research on what makes a website great. In this episode he shares the single best way to improve your church's website.   If you haven't already, head over to ProChurchTools.com/Nucleus to download our 7 Church Website Page Templates. Pre written copy structured the exact way we would if we had these pages on our websites.   What's In This Session? Etsy's research on product photos (1:15) The value of photos of human faces (2:07) Applying this to churches (2:26) Medalia's study of faces vs. paintings (4:30) Other studies on pictures with human faces (4:47)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Nucleus The Human Face of E-Business: Engendering Consumer Initial Trust Through the Use of Images of Sales Personnel on E-Commerce Web Sites Shiny happy people building trust?: photos on e-commerce websites and consumer trust Exploring Human Images in Website Design Across Cultures: A Multi-Method Approach Do human photos on a landing page increas