Periodically, and especially when you are beginning to plan a media strategy or campaign, it’s important to understand where you have been and where you are right now.
In the marketing world, this is called a social media audit and competitive analysis. The goal is to examine what you have been doing, historically, to help guide your next steps.
I’m going to tweak the language here to better fit media ministry teams, but there are a lot of resources out there that provide various kinds of social media audit checklists, templates, and advice. I also assume that your past media presence may have not been exclusively in the new/social media space.
As we look at an existing media ministry, large or small, here are some key points we want to study:
- Current Media Activities and Content
- Current Media Presence
- Current Audience
- Current Performance
- Our Persona in these channels and in this content
- “Competitors” – Analysis
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of each section. You’ll want to make lists and gather information on:
- Current Media Activities and Content
- Projects (broadcasts, distribution, and campaigns of various kinds)
- Content Assets (films, programs, recordings, and other media we own or create)
- Current Media Presence
- “Traditional” media (TV & Radio stations, print distribution, etc.)
- Social/New media (web sites, blogs, social pages, accounts, etc.)
- Current Audience
- Size (overall, and by channel, above)
- Description (demographics, personas, and how they compare with your Objectives)
- Current Performance
- Growth (Do you have historical numbers?)
- Compare with Objectives (If you have existing objectives, do a comparison. If you are creating new Objectives, how does this fit?)
- What kinds of content have been most effective in reaching your goals for each media channel?
- Our Persona in these channels and in this content
- Ways we present ourselves (Do you have a consistent public ‘face’? Do you feel that our identity is appropriate to your Objectives and ministry Context?)
- Consistency across your media channels and content
- Consistency with your Objectives
- “Competitors” – Analysis
- Like-Minded: Are there others in this same ministry space? (Objectives, Content, Success, Strategies, etc.)
- Others: Are there others, even opposition, who are influencers in your area? (Objectives, Content, Success, Strategies, etc.)
- What can you learn from others in your ministry space? (Things you might like to imitate? Things that seem to work toward your Objectives? Things you want to avoid?)
If you take the time to dig into these questions in more detail, it will help you see our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and to help guide your Persona, Follow-Up, and Content development.
This content is part of what I teach in the Foundations of Media Strategy course at MissionMediaU. Check it out if you want to learn more.
MindSoulStory 