Church Marketing Podcast: The You Episode

August 6, 2014 by Dave Shrein

Show Summary

School is back in session (though it seems earlier than when we were in school) and the fall is coming into focus. The You Episode is all about self-care. Entrepreneur Ahna Hendrix joins the Church Marketing Podcast from Vietnam to share how she practices self-care while living a lifestyle that demands nothing but complete and total focus. Also in the episode we look at the power of real photography on a website as well as an alternative way churches can approach using Pinterest.

More About This Episode

As we all know, the fall is when we typically see a boost in all of the metrics we measure. More butts in seats, more contributions, more website hits, more downloads, more phone calls and just about everything else we track. The temptation that faces all of us during these busy seasons is to neglect the most important thing in our lives: ourselves.

Affectionately titled “The You Episode”—this episode is dedicated to self-care. Taking time to take care of yourself is what will enable you to take care of every responsibility placed in your life. When we do not take care of ourselves, we sell short every person who is relying upon us.

Our Guest

Entrepreneur Ahna Hendrix owns a social media strategy company which she is currently running from Vietnam. Her company provides a full range of services to organizations and companies that have a desire to increase their influence online and through social media. As a business owner, Ahna does not have the comforts of a paycheck, benefits and security that a traditional 9 to 5 job offers. Ahna’s livelihood is dependent upon her showing up and getting the job done.

In this episode, Ahna shares some of the self-care practices she has placed a high value on in effort to protect her physical health, spiritual health, relationships and sanity.

As church communicators, we will often throw ourselves into our work during the busy seasons and inadvertently neglect our most essential life responsibilities. We work extra hours behind the computer, at the facility or running around town doing “good things” for the kingdom of God. Self-care is not something that typically shows up at the top of our priorities.

Ahna has made a habit of preserving time and space for self-care and we are excited to bring this conversation to the Church Marketing Podcast.

Practicing Pinterest

If you have struggled with how to use Pinterest for your organization, Church Marketing Podcast host, Dave Shrein, brings a non-traditional suggestion for how you might start utilizing this amazing tool. A quick search on Google will peg the Pinterest user base at about 70 million accounts. That’s a huge community where people are spending more and more time. Churches may do well to consider using Pinterest to point to themselves and alternatively, point to the cities in which they are located.

Practicing City Photography

One thing our host harps on is the use of stock photography. While there are situations that call for high quality stock photos, relying too heavily on fake, manufactured imagery will do nothing but hurt your organization’s brand. A Phoenix non-profit organization, From Gangs 2 Jobs, has been building a new website and instead of opting for picturesque stock photography, they have outfitted their new online presence with original photography of the city they love and serve.

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