Optimizing Online Presence: Implementing the A.R.C. Framework in Church Communications

You’re likely posting online content for your church every week. From social media posts, email newsletters, video announcements, and many more, you’re creating a lot of content. But how do you know the online content you’re creating will be effective? I’d like to walk you through my A.R.C. framework.

A = Audience

Understanding your audience is critical in crafting compelling online content. You must identify who your audience is and tailor your messaging accordingly. Questions to consider include:

What are the age, gender, location, and interests of the audience?

If you’ve spent any amount of time around Gen Z, you might have noticed they speak a little differently. Words like “bet”, “sus”, or “bussin” are going to make sense to Gen Z, but leave most older generations scratching their heads trying to figure out what you’re talking about.

Your location can also play a role in the language you use. Do you drink Coke? What about pop? Or do you prefer soda? Make sure the language you’re using matches the location of your audience.

Does the content address the needs, concerns, and interests of the audience?

If you’re part of a small church, you can get away with telling everyone in your congregation about 100% of your upcoming events. But as your church grows, you need to spend more time thinking about getting the right information to the right people at the right time rather than telling 100% of your congregation about 100% of the upcoming events.

This requires the ability to target specific groups inside your church. Segmented email lists are a great way to accomplish this.

Is the content easily accessible and inclusive of all members of the congregation?

Who you’re writing to will dictate the language you can use. Let’s say you’re inviting new church members to your assimilation class. If they don’t have a background in the church, it’s unlikely they’ll know what that means. Keep an eye out for inside language. Do you have a specific name for small groups at your church? Life Groups, journey groups, fellowship groups, home groups? It’s ok to use specific terms, but it means you need to take time to explain what you’re talking about.

R = Response

The ultimate goal of online content is to elicit a response from the audience. Whether it's inspiring action, fostering discussion, or encouraging reflection, you must clearly define the desired response you hope to achieve. Some questions to consider:

What specific action do you want the audience to take after engaging with the content?

Are you hoping they click a link, leave a comment, or simply absorb the information in the post? Either way, it’s important that you understand what you’re trying to accomplish.

Is my content optimized to elicit my desired response?

Let’s say you’ve got an event coming up. As part of promoting that event, you’re going to send an email out to your entire congregation inviting them to sign up for the event. You’ve decided that the action you want people to take is to sign up for the event by clicking a button in the email that leads to the sign-up page on your website. Is the button big enough? Are there too many other things in the newsletter distracting from the event sign-up? Does the email subject line reflect your desired response? Each of these details will have an impact on the overall effectiveness of your content.

By setting clear objectives for each piece of content, you can better measure its effectiveness and adjust your strategies accordingly.

C = Channel

Different online platforms cater to different audiences and content formats. Therefore, it's crucial for you to consider the suitability of each channel for the content you’re posting. Some questions to consider include:

Which platforms are most frequented by the target audience?

Each platform has different demographics and that should factor into what you’re posting. Facebook is going to trend a bit older, TikTok is much younger, and Instagram is somewhat between the two.

Is the content optimized for the specific features and requirements of each platform (e.g., video for YouTube, images for Instagram)?

Are you posting a horizontal video on a vertical video platform like TikTok? If you’re going to take the time to post content online, I highly recommend that you make sure your content is optimized for the channel/platform you’re posting it to. This goes deeper than aspect ratios. Spend the time necessary to have a basic understanding of the type of content that performs well on each channel/platform. For example, short-form videos such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts lend themselves to high-energy videos with fast-paced editing to help hold the attention of the viewer. Does the content you’re posting fit in well?

Tailoring content to suit the strengths and nuances of each platform is critical to maximizing your visibility and impact within the digital landscape.

Embracing the A.R.C. Framework for Growth

Incorporating the A.R.C. framework when you post content online empowers you to create more meaningful and impactful content that resonates with your community. By prioritizing the audience, defining clear objectives for response, and optimizing content for various digital channels, you can foster deeper connections, inspire action, and ultimately, facilitate the growth of your congregation 1 visitor at a time.

My Name is John Mann. I started Axio Social to help churches utilize social media to grow their congregations 1 visitor at a time.

Videos

Articles