The biggest email mistake your ministry is making

The biggest email mistake your ministry is making? More on that in a bit. I got a couple emails this week from ministries featuring their amazing work. Their emails where classically formatted into a standard e-news letter. It was clear that they were asking for help. They needed people to join in to their cause. To see God at work first hand, to go, give, and pray for their ministry. Wanting to help, I clicked the link to the video, it sent me straight to a youtube page. I made another click on a video, one I made, it was linked to my client review page on my website! Although one might think it’s free advertising, this was by far the worst thing that could happen for me and for these ministries!

Unfortunately for this ministry, the email is now out and a person that clicks on the link is now on my webpage. With nothing about the ministry on it. No “give now” button, no “go now” button, no info about the ministry at all. They are now on my website being distracted by watching other ministry videos that I have done. That’s bad for me, and bad for this ministry. I want the videos I make to have a maximum impact for that ministry. If a potential supporter gets sent to a youtube page to watch your ministries video… next thing you know they are watching cat videos and had forgotten what they were doing in the first place.

Your video was created to draw people into your ministry. Its a tool, to bring the viewer a little closer to the heart of your mission. This month I removed all social media links from the front page of my website. A mentor group of mine pointed out that I was sending people away from my ecosystem. In essence, I was asking people to enter into my house but then sending them down the street to watch my videos or sending them to the mall to like me on Facebook… I want a relationship with folks, and I want them to enter into my house surrounded by my family, the food I make, and the company I keep.

Bottom line: Make any link you send to your supporters go back to your website. If you have to embed a video into a page on your website, do it! Or figure out how to do it. Here’s the deal… Don’t send people away from connecting with your amazing ministry.

Here what to do:
1. Have all links in your email go to your website.
2. Put all outside links (youtube, Facebook, etc.) in a hard to reach place on your website. Keep people on your page, dont send them away from it to get lost in black whole of social media land
3. Use Social media and Youtube to draw people into your website
4. Buy my book (I know, shameless plug!) but i go over all this in my book. It’s $25 and the investment it’s worth it! http://missionaryfilms.com/book