15 Ways to use personalized video for churches
Video is a powerful communication tool. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is one minute of video worth? According to Dr. James McQuivey, research director at Forrester, the answer is 1.8 million words! With the impact of video and people spending an average of 84 minutes watching videos every day, why not make use of this growing channel with personalized video for churches like yours?
Here are 12 ways churches can use personalized video for their congregation or community.
1. Welcome new members
Share a personalized “thank you for attending” video for first-time visitors. Personalized video is a great way to stand out from the other churches in your area and show you really care.
First-time visitors might not be willing or comfortable sharing their reasons for attending church on Sunday, but a personalized follow-up video is a great way to reconnect without putting them on the spot.
2. Celebrate discipleship anniversaries and birthdays
Few things are more special than the baptism of yourself or your children. Send a personalized video reminding people of the special discipleship anniversaries in their life.
Sharing these moments via video is a nostalgic way to reconnect people with your church and remind people of all the memorable baptisms, confirmations and pledges in their life.
Bay Chapel uses Gratavid to send personalized birthday messages and more.
3. Use personalized video for churches to introduce visiting pastors
When visiting pastors come to church, it can be a surprise for some parishioners. Reduce that surprise by sharing an introduction video from the visiting pastor and highlight their background, family, and sermon highlights.
A personalized introduction will kick the first date hesitation, create some buzz, and get people excited about hearing them speak on Sundays!
Creative ways to use video
Joshua S. Walker of Impact Christian Church breaks down ways to think outside the box for using video to engage your church body. Watch the video.
4. Send a prayer request
Send a personalized video to anyone who submits a prayer request letting them know their message has been received.
For example, Gratavid from Gravyty allows you to request and collect videos from your congregation providing words of encouragement to anyone who might be going through a hard time.
5. Nurture form submissions
Send a personalized video to anyone who submits a form on your website. For example, thank anyone who signs up for discovery, to serve, leader training, plan a visit or any other type of engagement on your website.
How can you do this at scale, though? Automate sending videos and creating tasks with Gravyty’s video engagement and stewardship tool.
6. Welcome new families
You might not always have the contact information for someone visiting your church, but when a family attends they usually fill out something to enroll the kids.
Use this opportunity to send a personalized welcome video to the family.
7. Share a Sunday message
Share a key message or passage from Sunday’s sermon with members who could not attend in person.
If you have a virtual component, you could also share a quick video overview with a link to log in or the recording from that day’s service.
8. Engage youth program participants
Send personalized videos inviting youth to classes, youth groups, mission trips, or other programs you offer.
Gratavid’s video request feature lets you collect video testimonials from current youth participants and share those with the new or prospective church and youth members.
9. Kick off the kids ministry
Send a personalized welcome video from the pastors’ children welcoming the new kids into the youth program. Combine testimonials from other kids sharing memories from all their years in the youth program.
Video is also a great way to check in with parents if their young kids are on an overnight trip. Share a video from the kids on their overnight trip saying hey to their parents and having fun!
10. Promote an upcoming sermon series
Personalized video is a great way to prepare and excite your congregation about the weeks and months ahead.
Personalized video messaging helps Bay Chapel send prayers, outreach messages and invitations in a dynamic, organic way.
11. Remind congregation about annual tithing
Send a personalized video reminding your congregation of their annual tithe pledge. Video is a great way to communicate genuine impact, need, and appreciation.
Make it easy for everyone by including a link to donate directly on your video page.
12. Share seasonal messages
Share out a holiday video with specifics about services and upcoming events. Include links in your video where people can view the schedule and learn how to participate.
Seasonal messages are a great way to attract lapsed members who haven’t visited your church in a few months. Because the average church goer might only pay attention during the holidays, you must make seasonal messages engaging and impactful. Video can help.
13. Encourage volunteers
Volunteers are the unsung heroes of most churches. From the front office to the parking lot, everything runs smoother with volunteers. Share a thank you video with volunteers, share a volunteer testimonial, or even send out a message requesting volunteer support.
Video offers a lot when it comes to your volunteer coordination and engagement.
14. Promote events
Whether it’s church festivals, holiday parties, or launching a renovation campaign, utilize video to lift up all your events. Invite those from your church or your community to attend, support or volunteer.
15. Request and share testimonials
Collect video testimonials and share them back with your members.
Testimonials are a great way to inspire more members to get involved in church groups, volunteer opportunities, and communicate the impact of tithings and donations.
Gravyty revolutionizes how you reach and engage your constituents and donors through one integrated, end-to-end platform. Learn more.
