The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

  http://prochurchtools.com/188 -  I went and studied 100s of almost identical Facebook posts to discover what really worked (and more importantly, what really didn’t) when it came to growing engagement.   What's In This Session? Defining the case study (6:54) The video guarantee (10:13) The statistics (11:20) Why a share is important (12:14) The case study results (21:25) Real life examples (30:03) Storytape pricing (44:40)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape.com Rev.com Trint.com   3 Instant Takeaways Video out performs text and photo based posts on Facebook. This makes sense because video will keep our attention on a single platform and post longer. Due to this prolonged attention Facebook is prioritizing video, meaning that video posts are more likely to be seen by your audience. Viewers retain more of the message when watching a video compared to text. Even if the retention rate is only an extra 50%, this still means that your audience is still means that your audience is still capturing more of your message when you put it out in video form than when you use a text and image combo. Add captions. A high percentage of videos on social media are viewed without sound. By adding captions you allow this large portion of your audience to still engage with you content. You make it accessible.    Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp188/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:06 - Worship backgrounds: motions or stills? 3:05 - Everything I try to do creative or new gets shut down by my lead pastor. Do you have any advice or ideas as to what I should do? 17:03 - I’m being asked about offering an online church directory and looking for some insights as to whether that’s still something worth doing. 21:54 - Any suggestions on how to use the 300 character limit status update for our church’s Google Business page?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Connection Church knows the importance of great digital and social media content, but right now they don't have someone to head it up. They're not sure what they needr in the person they hire. Brady sits down with their communications team to discuss the type of person they should look for.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Connection Church Church Location: Canton, Michigan Church Age: 75 years Church Size: 2,600 - 3,000 On the coaching call: Austin - Youth/Tech/Communications, Jared - Youth Intern   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Church Community Builder Typeform Ninja Forms Gravity Forms Formstack   3 Instant Takeaways More is not always better. If your social media strategy is struggling, don't try to fix it by adding more channels. Instead take the time to figure out why your strategy is not working and how to improve. Learn how to go deep on your most popular social channel before taking on more. Look for a practitioner. Because social media is constantly changing so quickly, there is no formal education system for how to become a church communicator. This makes it important to find someone who is already applying the qualities in their own life. They are active on social media. They understand the platforms. Manage expectations. When it comes to creative projects make sure the other people on staff are aware of the timeline required. Put deadlines in place. This will help make sure their expectations line up with what is possible, as well as with the other members of your team.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/expanding-creati…onnection-church/.

http://prochurchtools.com/187 - Tristan is the creative mind behind a large percentage of the abstract footage available on Storytape. He joins us to discuss what it takes to orchestrate and film an abstract scene.    What's In This Session? The origins of Storytape (8:07) Executing a reverse bet (10:15) What it takes to orchestrate an abstract scene (14:20) Filming abstract clips using fire and flames (16:04) Why a macro lens is the key to great abstract footage (20:27) Building an abstract scene around a broken speaker (22:35) How to bounce back when a video shoot fails (26:05) Adding visual effects to abstract footage in post-production (41:00)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Storytape on Instagram Westcott LED Flex Lights Savage Seamless Paper Backgrounds Tristan on Instagram Tristan on Twitter Grasshopper   3 Instant Take Aways Draw inspiration from the work of others. Tristan remembers seeing clips of paper burning, and later used this to inspire a sequence of clips of fire and ember. Write down the things that inspire you, as well as things you want to try in the future. Use a macro lens. A macro lens allows you make small things appear large. This combination can turn even normal, everyday objects into unrecognizable, abstract shots. Don't be afraid to fail and try again. Part of creating is coming up with things that haven't been done or seen before - or at least not your way. Sometimes it will take a couple of shots to get something just right. Don't allow it to discourage you. Come back with new and better ideas.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp187/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:05 - How do I reach people, apart from Facebook ads, how can I reach people within our own city? 7:38 - Is it better to have all of your registrations in one place, or is better to keep people on your website? 12:40 - Do you have any ideas on how to deal with the practical realities of posting stories about your kids on Facebook? 17:02 - If apps are going away, what is the solution we can use that would have the necessary functions like secure giving, joining groups, signing up for teams… all the church app perks?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

OneHeart Ministry has recently moved into their permanent location, whose demographic is vastly different than their previous mobile location, and now they're looking to grow both in numbers and diversity. Brady chats with their creative team about strategies to fit their community & culture.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: OneHeart Ministry Church Location: Sydney, Australia Church Age: 8 years Church Size: 50 On the coaching call: Josh Wyatt - Creative Ministry Leader, Hang - Social Media Manager, Blair - Photography & Website, Emily - Film & Photography, Allison - Lyric Operator   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Storytape Storytape on Instagram Google AdWords Facebook Ads Tips For Churches From The Trenches with Steve Fogg Adobe Photography AskBrady.TV   3 Instant Takeaways  Be patient. Starting in a new place means that it will take time and consistency to see relationships built with your community. Don't allow your natural inclination to want immediate results discourage you. Don't be afraid to give the process time. Depth & reach - you need both. You may notice in your metrics that certain posts get a lot of engagement, but very little reach and vice versa. The key is to include both types of post. This way you continue to reach a wide audience while still building a relationship with your core social media audience. Use a templatized systems to include new and inexperienced volunteers. People want to be included and contribute to their community, but sometimes don't have the preexisting skills you need. Templates allow them to be part of the team without compromising standards. Then you can expand their training from there if you want.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp184/.

http://prochurchtools.com/186 - Alex is one of the certified drone operators here at Pro Church Tools. He discusses drone laws and operation when it comes to filming.   What's In This Session? The 3 phases of worldwide drone laws (8:38) The best countries to fly your drone in legally (11:16) Becoming a certified drone pilot (21:38) Flying a UAV commercially in America (25:14) The difference between flying “commercially” and “recreationally” (30:22) Best practices for capturing stunning aerial videography (32:48) Why flying your drone slower is always better (36:23) Drone footage at golden hour (39:59)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Alex on Twitter Alex on Instagram Storytape DJI Inspire 2 Zenmuse X5S DJI Phantom 4 Zenmuse X7 DJI CrystalSky Monitor Golden Hour Videography Blue Hour Videography Prime   3 Instant Takeaways Be educated. Before flying your drone, make sure you understand the rules for the country and region you're playing in. Knowing basic laws about airspace and using common sense when choosing where you fly will help keep everyone safe, and your drone intact. The government sees almost no drone flying as recreational, even though you might. As soon as you're flying a drone with a camera attached the government views it as a commercial flight because you could film, create a video, post that video on YouTube and the video could be monetized. Even if this isn't your intention, because of the possibility of monetization, your flight could be categorized as commercial flying. Fly slower. Create a cinematic feel by flying slow enough to allow the scene to unfold rather than creating scenes that feel rushed.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at ">http://prochurchtools.com/pcp186/.

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools   #TIMESTAMPS:   1:09 - I’ve done a variety of Facebook Live videos, and one of the challenges I have had is having an inconsistent internet connection. Is that a common problem, or if it’s just me? 8:23 - Just wondering if you guys have an opinion on the Melo camera for Facebook Live or Live streaming?  12:36 - When it comes to online prayer requests, is it better to respond in a timely way that maybe lacks some thoughtfulness? Or to respond in a thoughtful way that might lack some timeliness? 16:28 - Can you provide a link for the announcement by Apple that they will be removing Subsplash apps from the App Store?   Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month.   Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast.   Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Grace Church of Napa Valley is a family. Close knit and friendly, they've done a great job building their internal community. Now they're ready to extend that relationship further into their city. Brady talks with their team about how to overcome apathy and shift their focus.   Meet The Church Being Coached Church Name: Grace Church of Napa Valley Church Location: Napa Valley, California Church Age: 42 years Church Size: 400 On the coaching call: Justin Nune - Jr. High & High School Director, Nathan - Director of Media & Communications, Jake - Worship & Discipleship Pastor   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Compassion World Vision LearnChurchVideo.com The Method And Message Of Jesus' Teachings by Robert H. Stein Storytape.com 7 Social Media Templates For Churches The Best Social Media Strategy For Churches in 2017 Spotify.me Livestream AskBrady.TV   3 Instant Takeaways Assess where you're at. Be honest with yourself about why you want to see your church culture change. Is it about the number? Is it about the call of God? Is it about finances? And then be honest about your flaws - as a leadership team, as a church - what is going on that could be holding you back from moving forward. Use storytelling to motivate change. Expectations in the form of rules or guidelines aren't necessarily bad, but they aren't compelling either. Instead share stories. Stories can create emotional reactions and empathy toward the people you want your church to begin to reach out to.. Over communicate. People are forgetful which is why it's important to reiterate your church's purpose over and over and over again. It's like when a worship team begins to feel like they've heard a song a million times. It's usually at that moment the congregation is finally starting to know it.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp184/.  

 http://prochurchtools.com/185 - Brandon is the creative mind behind Storytape’s unique Instagram stories. He shares his gear and tips in this session of the podcast.  What's In This Session? An intro to creating produced Instagram Stories (15:22) Dealing with the 24-hour expiration factor of Instagram Stories (17:16) Our Instagram Stories camera rig (21:48) Production workflow for Instagram Stories (28:09) Why quick cuts are the key to compelling Stories (33:50) How to master camera-motion transitions (38:51) Editing and export settings for better Instagram Stories (43:12) Pro tips & tricks for Instagram Stories (47:18) Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Brandon Canning on Instagram Brandon Canning on Twitter Jesse Driftwood on Instagram Storytape on Instagram Linktr.ee Amazon Prime Photos Panasonic Gh5 Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 Rode VideoMic Pro Joby Tripod Sony a6500 Canon 5D Mark IV CutStory 3 Instant Takeaways Enjoy the process of creating. Be honest with yourself - you're never going to go back 20 years from now and rematch yourself making your morning cup of coffee, and that's okay. Instead let the fact that your story will expire inspire your creativity everyday. How can this day be turned into a fun or beautiful story worth sharing? Challenge yourself enjoy the process. Work with what you have. Whether it's what you're doing that day, or the gear you're using - don't try to force it to be something it's not. Let your creativity find the ways to make the most of it. Break it up. With Instagram stories being such short clips of time, if a single clip of footage in your story is more than a few seconds long it can seem to drag on. By keeping clips and transitions short, you can maintain high energy throughout your story.   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/becoming-communi…urch-napa-valley/.