Silas Partners

I have never known the fear of being pursued by the law, having neighbors or relatives inform the police of my activities, or being cast into prison. These fears are the emotions of criminals but for many it is reality of following the life of Jesus Christ. It is hard to connect to this reality here in the comfort of Washington, DC. Even as I write this article, there is breaking news out of China about two house church leaders being sentenced to “one year re-education through labor” for the crime of “using an evil cult to obstruct the law”.

How many of us worry about our pastors being thrown into labor camp?

China Aid Association is boldly active in the provinces of China exposing these stories to the world—being a witness to the oppression, imprisonment and torture of Christians. In addition to providing a window into a much concealed society, China Aid ministers to the suffering Church through prayer, education, financial support and intervention. In short China Aid has much need for God’s providence and security.

Silas Partners has the honor of working with the people of China Aid and recently we launched their new website. The goals were to appeal to a western audience, communicate the truth, be a news source for the media (whether it be CNN or a local church), and appeal to the generosity in people to aid the persecuted church in China. These goals needed more than an out of the box solution, so careful time was spent understanding the work and the intended audience.

The end result, we hope, will expand awareness and provide Bob Fu, the President of China Aid (Read his story), the resources to expand his work.

The solutions provided were a mix of technology strategy and visual communication.

First, with such a limited amount of time in a day and so many news flashes coming out of China, Bob and his team needed a tool for speedy site updates and search engines could easily find. Using blogging software not only achieved both goals, but also enabled the audience to comment on the stories and ask questions. This blogging structure turns passive readers into participants who can encourage the CAA team, learn more, and tell their own stories.

After the technology evaluation, we began work on restructuring the image of CAA which was misperceived by many as strictly a news organization. We needed to convey the service of reporting on the persecution while also walking with the persecuted. The new site architecture and design is a constant balance of these two actions. By both informing and prompting action, our prayer is for a website that provides an answer to the question: “what can I do about the persecuted in China?”

You can learn more about China Aid and view their new website by visiting www.chinaaid.org.

Ministries have the great privilege of championing world-changing and life-saving messages. Chances are good that your ministry’s story is worth hearing. Unfortunately, being “worth hearing” does not necessarily guarantee an audience.

We’ve all heard the stats: people are exposed to three-thousand messages per day.¹ Billboards, emails, podcasts, radio programs (even messages on your morning coffee cup) all vie for a piece of our limited attention. Plain and simple: folks are distracted. Fortunately, “cutting through the clutter” does not necessarily require a bigger budget. What it does require is some hard thinking about how your ministry’s story is packaged and presented to the world. This article will discuss best practices for magnifying your ministry’s voice in an increasingly noisy environment.

Step 1: Build Conviction Internally

The old adage of “think before you speak” says it all. Too often, organizations squander a captive audience because they have not decided ahead of time what it is they’re supposed to be telling them. Before an email is sent, before a newsletter is mailed, and before a receptionist talks to a caller, make sure there is a crystal clear understanding—from the top down—of why you are communicating in the first place. Clear conviction at the core of an organization is a prerequisite for controlling the messages being distributed on the front lines. By way of example, the answer to “Why are we writing a newsletter?” should never be “Because ministries are supposed to write newsletters.”

A few (of the many) questions worth considering as you define your organization’s purpose:

1. What is your organization’s mission/vision? Why do you exist?
2. What are the short and long-term goals of the ministry?
3. What separates you from other ministries? If you went away, what need would go unfulfilled?
4. Who do you serve? What are you dying for them to know about your ministry?

Step 2: Pick Your Voice…and stick to it

These days, there are countless ways that individuals interact with your organization. Every one of these exchanges is an opportunity to reinforce your core purpose. Ensure that all of your communications come from a similar “voice.” Over time, your constituents are more likely to develop a deeper understanding of your work and needs.

No need to reinvent to wheel every time. Remember how hard Step 1 was?…and that was building consensus among the people closest to your organization. The rest of us will need reminders of who you are, why you’re talking to us, and why we should care?

Consider how these “windows” to your organization might better reflect a focused mission to your audience:

• Website content
• Newsletters
• New member welcome/follow-up process
• Website design
• Appeals
• Phone conversation protocol

Step 3: Keep the Conversation Going

Now that you’re getting some attention, keep your audience engaged. The best way to do this is through new content, updated messages, and ongoing conversations.

The consistency we talked about earlier does not mean we have to be a broken record. Instead, think of your communications plan as a wardrobe. Even though a person might have an overall “look,” that does not mean that every shirt is identical. Similarly, different messages at the tactical level can all stem from a singular organization voice…and will go a long way toward keeping your audience engaged.

One of the most challenging places to carry on a conversation is on the web. Many ministries find that changing content/pictures/etc. requires substantial effort. However, since so many existing and new members connect to ministries through the web, your web site is a prime candidate for routine content updates. Fortunately, today’s technology options include editable content management systems that make it easy for non-technical staffers to update sites with your latest news and accomplishments.

For more about our approach to effective communication, contact us.

¹“Data Smog, Surviving the Information Glut.” Author David Shenk
Learn more or purchase on Amazon.com

Your ministry or organization will be holding an event in the coming months. You want the event to be widely attended, with a maximum number of pre-registrations in order to approximate attendance. This article will share best practices on running an integrated campaign for an event, identify potential problem areas and provide solutions to fix them.

There are several key components that must work together seamlessly in order to have an effective campaign to promote an event. The communication streams used must have integrated messaging and design for the best possible user experience and for setting expectations of the event. With many conferences or events, the PR and communication elements are limitless, but for smaller organizations there are a few elements that are necessary.

The key elements of a successful event are:

• Email campaign communications
• Event website/landing page
• Event registration system/site

Many organizations follow this simple recipe for an event, but find that at some point the communication stream fails, and initial expected results are not satisfactory.

It’s time to go into ‘audit’ mode and identify and fix any problems you can find in the overall user flow. In this article’s scenario, we will assume that the email campaign has been successful, but registrations are low for the event, which has a history of being very popular.

The Email Campaign Communications

One aspect of integrated communications is that all communication elements must have the same look and feel. The emails that you create should include:

• Clear branding and visual connection to offline materials
• Basic information about the event
• Event dates, times, location, and exhibitor information (if included)
• Speakers in attendance with prominent coverage of the keynote speakers
• What the attendee will gain from attending the event - ‘why’ they need to come
• Link to the event mini-site or registration page (this is based on your event budget, but it is recommended to have a mini-site created)

For most events where the audience is familiar with the organization, open rates should be in the 30-40% range - which is pretty good for the industry. For some organizations it will be even higher due to past event success or word of mouth.

Measure how effective the email is at delivering visitors to your site. Click throughs should be at 10% - at a minimum - higher if it is a popular or very focused event. If the traffic is not being delivered to pertinent information, then registrations will not follow. Make sure the email has only one call to action - “LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVENT.” Additional calls to action will only deter your audience from reaching the desired end goal - registration.

You may need to run tests on the email creative and copy in order to find out what will deliver the highest number of click-throughs. Do this in the early phase of the communication plan for the event.

The Landing Page/Micro Site

Try to track site traffic on a daily basis to make sure that your potential registrants are finding the information they require prior to signing up for the event. The landing page or mini-site should not be more than five pages or include so much information that the user gets lost learning about the event. Make sure that the user has a strong ‘marketing funnel’ that walks them page-by-page through the site that leads them - contextually - on the registration page.

In some cases, a landing page may be the only online component of the communications stream if registrations are processed ‘offline.’ If the event site includes online registration, the visual look and feel should be the same. In many cases an event email/landing page or mini-site will reside on one system, but the registration process is hosted or controlled by another system.

If registrations reside on a different web platform, tracking conversions or results may require the use of traffic reporting software, such as Google Analytics, that can accommodate passing system variables, though some manual site reporting may still be necessary to get the data desired. When reviewing your traffic reporting, compare page views to registrations to determine your ‘conversion’ or registration rate.

The Registration Site

At this point, your mini site should be delivering a good number of views to the registration page. If registration resides on a different server or system, make sure that the visual look and feel as well as messaging is consistent- or is branded well enough so that the user is not confused. In many cases a registration process can take several steps and it is important to track each of these steps individually to identify page abandonment rates. It’s ok to have a series of short forms that clearly state ‘Step One of Four’ to set the user expectation - many organizations try to capture all the information on one page in order to make the process easier, but in fact it makes the process for the user more daunting.

It is possible to see great results in your email campaign, click throughs, landing page/site activity, and then a huge drop off on registrations. This is where having separate steps in registration will allow you to identify the problem page or area.

Careful review of registration page stats will help you to identify any barriers that users are hitting that may cause problems. Examples of barriers include copy that slightly differs from the email or landing page, or a ‘register’ button that is hard to find. Making sure that all the page elements visually and contextually connect will help to drive registrations and create a successful event campaign.

It will be very clear where a drop off point is in a registration process, and so you can quickly fix it. One of the biggest mistakes often made is asking for payment information before asking for the user name.

The best-best practice to take away from this article, is that you MUST review your stats on a daily basis and tweak accordingly. We hope that your next event promotion is a success and please let us know if you need assistance.

Learn more about how creating an integrated strategy is key to the success of your mission.

Faith in Action (FIA) is a relief organization whose mission is to share the love of God by serving the persecuted, poor and suffering in conflict & disaster regions of the world. One of the unique aspects of FIA is their relative small size contrasted with their large work. As a light and efficient organization, they quickly respond to urgent needs when other organizations are slowed by internal bureaucracy. Having the privilege of one-on-one conversations, we quickly understood their unique abilities and noble mission. But in order for that understanding to develop with their larger audience, the compelling work and authenticity of FIA needed to permeate all of their points of contact-their website, emails, printed newsletters, thank-you letters, etc.

Our goals for FIA were to improve their communication strategy, help them connect with audiences that could continue to support their mission, and lift the burden of communication from lying solely on the shoulders of their small staff.

Realizing An Identity

FIA’s new logo needed to communicate their speed and ground-level involvement with the needs they serve. Inspired by the flight of a bird, the shapes of the new logo visually represents the speed and mobility in which Faith in Action responds. The dramatic angles create motion, while the peaceful sliced ovals balance and soften the mark. Two pen-strokes split the logo in half, adding a more grounded; physical element. With a fresh logo in hand, Silas Partners developed an identity system that included: new business cards, a letterhead, and sets of envelopes.

Building A Site

Our next major step was beginning the website architecture. Being able to clearly define FIA would be crucial to meeting the needs of new visitors. However, once these visitors are informed, the site needed to connect them with the personal stories of lives touched by FIA, and drive them to the calls-to-action. For these reasons, the architecture of the site is designed to allow new visitors reading about FIA’s unchanging mission to easily click over to stories about their recent work and needs.

Key features of the new site design include:

• Appealingly simple navigation coupled with a clean site design invite the user into a comfortable experience.
• Blog-style updates on regional stories allows for the small staff to keep the site fresh while keeping maintenance time to a minimum.
• Consistent incorporation of real photos from FIA’s work all over the world helps to connect visitors with those in need.
• Calls to action (pray, share and donate) have a global presence, driving home ways for visitors to easily get involved.

Don’t Disappoint The Inbox

If you build it, they will come. And they will expect more. Knowing that their audience would be treated to a satisfying online experience, it was up to FIA to ensure that follow up communication didn’t fall short. Of course, we were there to help. After determining their needs and doing strategic planning for the email communication, we created a general purpose email stationery as well as flexible region-based stationery. The regional stationery included a header designed to easily swap out photos and customize emails with artwork relevant to the email content. In additional, we built a new print newsletter template for them, so FIA could easily change and distribute updates by mail each month.

Throughout our entire relationship with FIA, we have been inspired by their humility and the important work that they do, in areas of desperate need. We hope that you will check out their site and find out more about them.

If you are in need of assistance with your own branding and communication efforts, give us a call to find out how we can help you.

Silas Partners is seeking a qualified candidate to serve in the role of Web Programmer. Web programmers write custom applications to support the needs of our clients, as well as custom plug-ins to open source content management systems such as Word Press to support the needs of our clients. From time to time web programmers may also be called upon to integrate web designs into out-of-the-box content management platforms. Web programmers are well organized with a high attention to detail and are flexible enough to react to competing demands fro multiple projects.

Web Programmers will work closely with web designers and information architects, while working within our project manager’s timeline. The ideal candidate will be committed to quality, well-organized, a strong problem solver, a good communicator, experienced, enthusiastic, and eager to take on responsibility and learn new skills. He/she will enjoy working in a fast-paced environment while creating an exciting, fun, teamwork-oriented setting.

Responsibilities Include:

• Programming custom applications in php, asp, and other similar programming languages
• The layout of web pages for our client work which involves knowledge of CMS platforms, HTML and CSS
• Writing custom plug-ins for open source content management systems, such as WordPress
• Ability to manage one’s time and meet time sensitive deadlines for multiple projects
• An understanding of online communication objectives and creating a positive web audience experience

Key Qualifications

• Technically Adept - Proficient in php, asp and other similar programming languages, as well as CSS and HTML.
• Team Player - You recognize that no one is good at everything, and so you work seamlessly with other team members to deliver integrated solutions for clients. You know your teammates’ strengths and work to bring out the best in them.
• Hard Working - Our clients are engaged in serious work and you would take seriously our obligation to serve them well. As a strategic partner, we give the extra effort that makes us more than just a vendor.
• Attention to Detail - You sweat the details, knowing that a great deal of value can be created through work that is not always glamorous.
• Good Organization - You can manage many different projects without things falling through the cracks. You instinctively know how to proiritize competing demands on your time.

Education/Experience

• 1-3 years experience in a web programming role and/or prior experience working in a web-related field.
• Expertise in php and Java Script.
• Expertise in HTML and CSS.

Local candidates preferred, but out-of-town submissions are welcome. Compensation will be commensurate with abilities and experience.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, references, and examples of previous work to hr@silaspartners.com. Plese include WEB PROGRAMMER in the subject line. No phone calls please.

About Silas Partners

Silas Partners helps Christian ministries and other philanthropic organizations to improve their communication and expand their reach through effective use of the Internet and other emerging technologies. The focus of Silas Partners is to provide online communication services to the ministry and non-profit community. We are a full-service web agency offering expertise in the areas of web strategy, web design, web programming, multimedia production and delivery, and online marketing. Silas Partners is a for-profit company serving the non-profit market.

Silas Partners is located in Alexandria, VA, just north of Old Town. We are a division of Trinet Internet Solutions, based in Irvine, CA. A stable, profitable, and growing company comprised of over 40 online communication professionals, we are looking to add highly-talented, self-motivated individuals with a genuine desire to serve. By joining Silas Partners, you will work in an environment where you can develop your professional skills and deliver work of the highest quality, while joining together with hundreds of non-profit organizations that are making a difference around the world.

Silas Partners is seeking a qualified candidate to serve in the role of Sales Manager for its Alexandria office. Working in tandem with our team on the West Coast, the Sales Manager helps to develop the overall sales and new business development strategy for the company, and then leads the company’s sales efforts from its Alexandria office. The Sales Manager acts as a “player-coach,” providing management and mentoring to junior team members involved in sales activities, while also working hard to secure new business through his or her own efforts. This involves consultative selling of web design, web development, and other online communication services to existing clients, client referrals, leads from tradeshows and other marketing channels, as well as cold-calling.

The ideal candidate will be client-centered, a good listener, well-organized, a strong problem solver, a good communicator, experienced, enthusiastic, and eager to take on responsibility and learn new skills. He/she will enjoy working in a fast-paced environment while creating an exciting, fun, teamwork-oriented setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate with West Coast office around overall sales and marketing strategy, and then implement a sales plan for the East Coast
• Establish relationships with key decision makers inside a partner organization.
• Serve as a liaison between clients and the Silas Partners team.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate and build relationship with prospective new clients for Silas Partners that leads to proposal requests and new revenue-generating business for the company.
• Identify needs of prospective clients and package Silas Partners services to best meet these needs
• Generate price quotes in collaboration with other team members and write custom proposals.
• Maintain relationships with key accounts
• Provide management and mentoring to junior team members involved in sales-related activities.
• Represent the passion and professionalism that marks Silas Partners’ work in all interactions and communications with clients.

Key Qualifications

• Client Relations - You get excited by the work our clients are doing, and you enjoy building relationships with the individuals we serve. Clients immediately like you and quickly respect you as a trusted partner. You understand the importance of client satisfaction and work tirelessly on their behalf.
• Problem Solving - You are comfortable with a blank sheet of paper. How are you going to help your client maximize their success given the resources they have available? The client is looking to you for answers. You’re helping the client figure out the approach they should take, as opposed to taking orders.
• Organizational Understanding - You have the ability to put yourself in the shoes of your client and understand how the web affects the organization as a whole. Prior professional experience working for or on behalf of a non-profit is helpful.
• Excellent Communicator - You have the ability to present information in an easily accessible way and to guide conversations with clients about future strategic direction. You are confident and effective in advancing your ideas, and you are able to have difficult conversations with clients and/or team members as required. You can communicate complex web topics to top level staff within an organization.
• Follow Through - You can take a sales opportunity all the way from discovery meeting to signed contract. You not only make a good first impression, but you are energized by closing new business.
• Comfort with Technology - Deep technical expertise is not required, but you must be able to quickly learn and understand technical concepts, with the ability to distill the important points and important tradeoffs that a client needs to consider.
• Leadership - You are proficient in establishing goals and leading and guiding a team towards them. You lead by example and you’re willing to roll up your sleeves to get things done, when the occasion may require.
• Teamwork - You recognize that no one is good at everything, and so you work seamlessly, and in collaboration, with other team members.

Education/Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Communications, Marketing, or a related field.
• 3-5 years experience in a project management or account management role or other agency related experience.
• Prior experience working with non-profits preferred, especially in the areas of communication and/or development.
• Prior experience working in a web-related field is preferred.

Local candidates preferred, but out-of-town submissions are welcome. Compensation will be commensurate with abilities and experience.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample to hr@silaspartners.com. No phone calls please.

Please include SALES MANAGER in the subject line.

About Silas Partners

Silas Partners helps Christian ministries and other humanitarian non-profit organizations to improve their communication and expand their reach through effective use of the Internet and other emerging technologies. The focus of Silas Partners is to provide online communication services to the ministry and non-profit community. We are a full-service web agency offering expertise in the areas of web strategy, web design, web programming, multimedia production and delivery, and online marketing. Silas Partners is a for-profit company serving the non-profit market.

Silas Partners is located in Alexandria, VA, just north of Old Town. We are a division of Trinet Internet Solutions, based in Irvine, CA. By joining Silas Partners, you will work in an environment where you can develop your professional skills and deliver work of the highest quality, while joining together with hundreds of non-profit organizations that are making a difference around the world.

Participants in this year’s Christian Management Association (CMA) convention in Palm Springs were welcomed with a nice surprise leading up to the conference - a new, redesigned website by Silas Partners. New CMA President Frank Lofaro reassured attendees that the new website was the first in a series of steps to better serve its members and unveiled a vision to make CMA the leading resource for delivering quality management resources and training to the ministry community. The 30th annual conference attracted a record-breaking number of registrants by a significant margin - watch for some exciting things to be happening at CMA!

Each day of the conference was started off with devotionals led by long-time Silas Partners’ client Alistair Begg - stop by his Truth for Life or Parkside Church websites to download one of his inspirational podcasts or to watch a sermon with that Scottish accent.

Think about how healthy our bodies would be if instead of deciding what’s for dinner while at the grocery store, we planned for the 5 year goal of our bodies. After that strategy session, between mind and stomach, all dinner recipes could be weighed against the mission and goals for our bodies.

Apply this to church website construction now; often times the “executive” level strategy is sped past or by-passed for conversations about technology, how the site should look, staff training needs or an array of other important talks.

What is this starting point?

Simply; the mission, audience definition, goals & results. Silas Partners has developed a church website strategy worksheet for high level planning. Our hope is that this doc helps you lay a foundation for which all crucial decisions are based during the redesign process. Download Church Website Executive Strategy Worksheet (PDF)