DTV External Communications Guide
Updated: January 2024
for downtown vineyard church internal usage only
01. who are we talking to?
Our communication is primarily aimed at any person of any age from any walk of life who feels they want to know Jesus Christ and are looking for a community of believers.
We want our content to connect with them in an authentic way and encourage spiritual discipline. We believe that relationships are holy and we strive to be a church to our community, not just in our community both in-person and online.
02. Where are we talking?
our website + App
email campaigns / newsletters
social media
Facebook
Instagram
Video
Facebook
YouTube
Church Online
Instagram TV
SMS / Text Campaigns
Flyers
Pamphlets
Posters
Signage
03. how often do we talk?
As much as we can but not all the time.
When we talk it should be relevant. Our communication is strategic and planned so that we don’t speak in quantity but with quality.
There are periods when we are silent and periods when we are loud.
Our timing and frequency of communcation is determined by specific guidelines.
The “1-in-5” Rule is the sweet spot for ensuring you don’t get penalized for being overly promotional on social while still giving you space to promote what’s truly important. This means that no more than 20% of your social posts or emails should be promotional in nature.
Instead of using your social platforms to promote ministry, let’s use social to do ministry.
The ultimate framework for all church promotions is: 1 Story + 1 Next Step. For event promotions, your single next step should always be your next step script “Head to dtvchurch.org/events to learn more about this and other events happening at DTV church!”
This is your call-to-action that comes at the end of your promotion but the bulk of your promo should be your story. This is true for stage announcements, emails, and even social posts.
To communicate effectively in church and see our congregation take more next steps we must prioritize inspiration over information.
04. what are we talking about
There are lots of things we could talk about, but these things are some of the main areas we communicate about across our different mediums.
stories / testimonials
The power of personal story can never be underestimated and so we seek to tell them at every chance we get.
activity updates
There is always so much going on at DTV. We want to show what is happening regularly and share what we are up to in our community.
events
We talk about upcoming events and how people can connect with us through these events.
Inspirational
05. our goals: why are we talking?
If there’s no goal then we are just talking for the sake of it. So why do we have a communications team in the first place?
We are the gate keepers between DTV and the public. It is our goal to teach out community how and where to find important information about what is happening at DTV. By limiting the amount of promotional content on our communication channels we gain the ability to grow a vibrant community both on and off-line.
These are the major reasons we talk:
TO CREATE AWARENESS
No one would know we exist if we did not talk about it. We create communication media so that others can be aware of what we offer and stand for in a consistent and cohesive way.
TO GENERATE INVOLVEMENT
We are winning as a communications team when we see a growth in indivuals taking ‘next steps’. For DTV, this is measured by traffic to our “events” page, on-site registrations, and connect cards.
TO INSPIRE / ENCOURAGE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
Above all else, our aim is to point people to Jesus. By acknowledging that digital sphere as a new and modern mission field, we create content with the goal of bringing people closer to God.
Copyright 2023 DTV Church