The number of businesses, organizations and institutions creating Christian content channels is gaining momentum.
One of the greatest opportunities is for those working with streaming video.
The online video explosion is not slowing down.
According to comScore figures, 181 million U.S. Internet users (up by 2 million from February) watched nearly 37 billion online content videos in March 2012.
Sermon videos may be a very small percentage but I’d say they’re the most important part of that mix. Each one has the potential to change lives.
Every time another church streams its services and makes its video content available on the Web, Christians have reason to celebrate.
This was my favorite tweet from Mothers Day:
“Thank you North Point Online for letting me see church from the hospital on Mother’s Day!” Angie
This type of connection and conversation around what churches are doing online is only one example of what’s possible through the creation of new digital video outreach and evangelism channels.
The team I work with at Glorystone.tv is working to help churches and broadcasters come together to get in on the ground floor of this opportunity.
As streaming video gains greater acceptance as an effective method of communicating the gospel online, sharing best practices will contribute to a healthier and stronger new Christian media ecosystem.
Here are eight practices to consider when launching and managing a Christian streaming video content channel.
1. Choose content carefully. Offer a variety of preaching styles that will touch different audience groups, i.e. teens, adults, in their different stages of spiritual growth. Partner with ministries committed to biblical fidelity.
2. Deliver high-quality. Users demand uninterrupted delivery of increasingly higher quality video over the Internet. The streaming quality directly impacts audience perception and the ability to touch lives with biblical truth.
3. Publish regularly. Whether new content is added daily or weekly, just be consistent. As an aggregator and curator, be known as a trusted resource for fresh content that is constantly changing, being added to and improved. You want people to come back often and tell their friends to tune in.
4. Make it easy to share. Having people share all or portions of the messages being streamed is vital to increasing the reach and impact of the content. Allow users to capture a few minutes of the sermon they find most compelling and share via social platforms and email. Create embeddable channels that users can put on their blogs and websites.
5. Create and help create. Locally operated channels provide the ability to customize, personalize, and regionalize original content. As a channel operator, you can produce your own steaming video content as you gain a foothold with the new medium. Invite participation from other content producers, allowing them to create and tell stories on your channel.
6. Encourage conversations. The effectiveness of a Christian streaming video channel is enhanced when a conversation loop is initiated with the audience. Build-in technology systems to facilitate two-way communication.
7. Integrate compatible advertising. Local online video channels can help companies and consumers engage with one another. People may be skipping commercials on TV, but according to comScore, online video advertising is exploding, In March, video advertising impressions topped 8 billion impressions for the first time ever. Commercial channels have to be monetized, but they don’t have to be monetized with annoying ads or an obnoxious quota of ads. Set strict limits on the types of advertising accepted and the number ad units available per channel.
8. Give something back. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Collaborate with God at the start of the venture to figure out how to share resources with everyone involved in the creation and ongoing life of the channel: content providers, church partners, customers, viewers. A successful business enterprise is the result of God’s provision. Everything comes from Him. Fight to sow generously and cheerfully.