Mark Clement

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Fascinating video about what truly motivates us. You'll never guess what it is...

Social Media Is Not A Fad: It's A Revolution

For anyone who thinks social media is a fad, think again. This fundamental shift in the way we communicate is nothing short of a revolution. The truth is that it's no longer about whether or not we DO social media, but HOW WELL do we DO social media? Check out the amazing stats featured in this video:

If your organization wants to make the most of this ever changing platform, reach out to us here at Big Picture Media and let's talk about how we might come along side you to take it to the next level. You can reach us at 205.965.7802 or by clicking HERE.

Leadership Network Interview

A few weeks ago I was honored to be interviewed by Dave Travis from Leadership Network about the relationship between social media and The Church. It was published today on their website and promoted through their bi-weekly Advance e-blast. Click HERE to check out the transcript or listen to the podcast which has a lot more information and details.

 

Anyone can easily set up Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or other types of social media accounts. But if you want to maximize these platforms for ultimate impact you may want to consider bringing in a consultant/coach to accelerate the learning curve and give you a head start. It can make an enormous difference in the way you relate to and lead your church.

If your church would like to talk with us about how we might come along side you to establish a great social media strategy, feel free to email us or give us a call at 205.965.7802. We would love to help you in any way we can.

Swagger Wagon

Hats off to Toyota's newest campaign to promote the Sienna  Minivan. The TV commercials have been hilarious, now this music video takes it to a whole new level. With almost 2.5 million views on YouTube in just it's first 20 days, Toyota is taking the campaign viral. Brilliant marketing, not to mention incredibly entertaining. Check it here:

What can your organization learn from this out of the box approach using social media?

It's Not You, It's Me

Today my buddy Casey Graham tweeted a couple of thoughts that got me thinking. He said 'If you are suspicious AT ALL, you will be suspicious OF ALL.' and 'Would you consider yourself naturally trusting or suspicious of people and why?'. These statements reminded me of something I noticed a few years ago and have found to be 100% true through the years. Truth: We expect everyone to act and think the same way we do. 

   

Now we know intellectually that everyone is different and that different personalities, experiences, etc...dictate the way people act. BUT on an emotional, gut level, we unconsciously expect people to deal with things the same way we do. This is why we are so often surprised or even shocked when people handle things in ways that our contrary to our own. 

Some people are always trying to read between the lines to figure out everyone's agenda and motives. They are suspicious, paranoid and fearful. They think everyone is trying to take advantage of them. Their trust level is virtually zero. These people expect other people to act and think this way because it typically is the way they think and act. By contrast people who are very trusting and open are often shocked when that trust and openness is not reciprocated. Either way the results can be devastating.

Now let me be the first to say that there are often other contributing factors here, especially on the negative side, specifically in the area of people being hurt by others. You get burned enough times of course you're going to be tempted to be suspicious. This is why it is so important to put our faith and our trust in God and not men.

But when we learn to recognize these patterns it can make understanding those around us, and ourselves, much easier.

Taking Shots At 'Lost'

Who knew tweeting about how 'Lost' is an enormous time suck would be one of the most re-tweeted things I've ever posted. I often talk about things like being a better person, or how to make the world a better place, and sure those things get read a little, but nothing like the thousands of RT's generated by this off hand comment I tweeted last week about 'Lost':

Or how about the incredible amount of traffic generated by this innocent little comment:

I figured if I'm going to be burned at the stake I might as well take @_Matt_Carter down with me, right? (Sorry Matt) So in the spirit of capitalizing on a useless TV show, I figured I would use it to get the most traffic to a single blog post in the history of markclement.com. I mean why waste time prattling on about saving the world when I can increase my numbers by taking shots at you folks? Exactly. So take a look at this stinkin' hilarious video from The Onion that pretty much sums it up:

Final Season Of 'Lost' Promises To Make Fans More Annoying Than Ever

Hey 'Lost' fans, in all seriousness, we love you. But we'll love you a lot more after May 23rd. Have a nice day.

Let the torrent of comments begin!

The State of Twitter

Accurate information about the impact of Twitter has been hard to come by due to Twitter's secrecy and lack of reporting. However, time has allowed more and more third parties to do scientific research into the phenomenon. To see how this information impacts the church world make sure and check out my exclusive interview/podcast with Dave Travis from Leadership Network coming out on Tuesday, May 25.   You can subscribe to that E-blast here.

A recent study captured and articulated that State of Twitter in the United States. Edison Research and Arbitron Internet recently surveyed 1,753 Americans age 12 and over to peel back the layers of fervor and hype to reveal the very people using Twitter and defining a new era of communication.

Awareness

According to Edison, Twitter's awareness exploded from 5% in 2008 to 26% in 2009 to near ubiquity at 87% in 2010. Of course this is due in large part to our near rabid obsession with the service mainstream media, businesses, even local shops and services, incessant advertising of Twitter through front-facing pleas, "follow us on Twitter!"

If metrics provide a baseline for appreciating Twitter's rapid journey to recognition, the study compared Twitter's stature to one of the largest social networks in the world. Off by a sliver of 1%.

Twitter is becoming a household brand, it just now has to work toward earning a position as a household service, something Facebook is currently reveling. At almost equal recognition levels, Twitter trails Facebook in actual usage by a staggering 34%.

Twitter Usage

Twitter recently hosted Chirp, its first conference where it revealed that it hosted over 105 million registered users. According to Arbitron and Edison, Twitter usage currently stands at an estimated 17 million Americans.

Twitter Activity Secrets Revealed

Twitter recently announced users were tweeting upwards of 50 million times per day at an average rate of 600 tweets per second.

Previous studies have shown that a small percentage of the overall user base is responsible for the greater volume of total tweets. In the new Arbitron and Edison report, we're introduced to five specific segments of "Tweeters" (I'll name them to make it easier for future reference:

• Broadcasters (Several times per day)
• Commentators (At least 1x per day)
• Contributor (at least 1x per week)
• Neutral (At least 1x per month)
• Inactives (Less than 1x per month)

Twitter Demographics

While the following demographics reveal the segments of people using Twitter, as marketers, business professionals, and brand managers, pay closer attention to the "interest graphs" interwoven within the network. It's how Twitter is basing its advertising architecture and its focus on psychographics over demographics is aligned with the dynamics of social media in general.

In the "Age of Social Networks," the average age of a Twitter user was revealed as 39. Now we learn that 38% of Twitter users are age 35 and older with the greatest concentration of users falling between 25 to 34. And, as we already know, in Twitter, Social Media, and now mobile social networking, women rule.

Examining the composition of ethnicity in Twitter brings to life the richness of diversity, but also its assemblage of core groups, mainly White, African American, and Hispanic.

Twitter Users are $chooled

Education and income levels naturally factor into the focus and segmentation of how businesses connect with distinct markets. For some, the desire to reach educated individuals with greater levels of discretionary income is paramount. It seems that Twitter is a network that caters to the well-educated as well as those with higher household incomes.

Twitter is a Mobile Experience

One in four users actively access Facebook from mobile devices. That equates to roughly 100 million users, which is for the time being, far greater than the total number of all Twitter inhabitants. Perhaps it's part of the engineered simplicity. Whereas 25% of Facebook users are mobile, almost two-thirds of Twitter users are comfortable accessing the service via their mobile phone -- thanks in large part to the brilliant array of third-party applications available by popular developers.

Twitter is an Exchange for Products and Services

For companies seeking to engage prospects, customers, and influencers in Social Media, Twitter is a goldmine. 42% stated they wish to learn about products and services and 41% already provide opinions about them. Many updates in Twitter related to products/services are indeed questions about experiences. 31% of those polled admit to asking for user opinions. Here's where businesses also need to pay attention. 28% of users polled are seeking discounts and offers. 21% claim to purchase products and at the moment, 19% are taking to Twitter to seek support.

If You Tweet Away, I Will Follow...

For businesses looking to engage in the conversation, Twitter is proving to be a means to connect the dots. For those brands that can effectively listen, respond, and also spark clicks to action, they will weave a rich network of invaluable touchpoints for customer acquisition and retention. According to the survey, Twitters users are more than likely to follow brands in companies at profound levels when compared to other social networks. In Twitter, 51% responded yes whereas 84% responded no when compared to all social network users.

And So It Continues...

To leave you with one last point intended to convey the preponderance of social networks. The adoption of social networks is soaring across every demographic at a minimum of 10% with some as high as over 20% between 2009 and 2010 alone. Don't expect that steep incline to taper any time soon.

This post originally appeared on the Fast Company Expert blog. Brian Solis is the author of Engage and is recognized as one of most provocative thought leaders and published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis' research and ideas have influenced the effects of emerging media on the convergence of marketing, communications, and publishing over the years. Follow him on Twitter @BrianSolis and follow his work at BrianSolis.com.

5 Major Trends For Churches

Came across this blog post from Dr. Thom Rainer, CEO of Lifeway. I think he could be on to something here:

Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.

I am thus careful when I do trend projections. I am especially careful when I am projecting trends that will have a direct impact on the churches in America.

The Basis for the Trends

The trends that follow were not created in a vacuum. Most the information is based on studies we have done at LifeWay Research. But much of this research provides us information and facts about today’s realities. It does not offer certitude for future trends.

The process is analogous to weather forecasting. We can see all the ingredients that will likely cause a specific outcome. But those factors can change, so we can never say that we are 100 percent certain.

Five Major Trends

Because most of the research that is the basis for these trends was related to American demographics, we must not extend the projections beyond our nation’s borders. Nevertheless, it is possible that some of the research could have implications beyond American churches.

1. Our nation will see the emergence of the largest generational mission field in over a century. According to our current research, the Millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, will have a very low Christian representation. Our estimates now are that only 15% are Christian. With a huge population of nearly 80 million, that means that nearly 70 million young people are not Christians.

2. The dominant attitude of this huge generation toward Christianity will be largely indifferent. Only 13 percent of the Millennials rank any type of spiritual matter as important to their lives. They are not angry at churches and Christians. They simply ignore us because they do not deem us as meaningful or relevant.

3. Senior adult ministries in churches will experience steep declines. As the large Baby Boomer generation moves into their older years, they will resist any suggestion that they are senior adults, no matter how senior they may be. Unfortunately, many churches are slow to adapt to new realities. If they do senior adult ministry the way they’ve always done it, it will be headed for failure.

4. The large Boomer generation will become more receptive to the gospel. Our data is anecdotal for now, but we are seeing indications that the Boomers may actually become more interested in spiritual matters in general, and Christianity specifically. If so, this trend will be counter to other trends where adults tend to become less receptive to the gospel as they age. The Baby Boomers have tried it all and found no joy. They may likely turn to the hope of the gospel.

5. Family will be a key value for both of the large generations. For the Millennials, family is their most important value. Nearly eight out of ten of the Millennials ranked family as the important issue in their lives. They told us that they had healthy relationships with their parents who, for the most part, are Baby Boomers. Some churches say they are family friendly, but few actually demonstrate that value. Churches that reach both of these generations will make significant changes to become the type of churches that foster healthy family relationships,

The Opportunity to Respond

We believe these trends may indeed become reality. They admittedly do focus only on two generations, but these two groups are the largest two generations in America’s history. They cannot be ignored.

Trend projecting is a meaningless exercise if it fails to engender action. Ultimately each local church must determine where God is leading the congregation. In the case of the five trends noted here, the opportunities seem significant. May the response of Christians and churches be nothing less than radical obedience.

Too Much Of A Good Thing

If you're like me and you've been around the 'modern' church very much, you'll find this video incredibly funny. In today's society where we are all connected with just a click of the mouse, the things that work are immediately adopted across the board like a wild fire out of control. I've seen this service 100 times in 100 different places, yet somehow it always seems the same. Too much of a good thing? Maybe.

The truth is a lot of churches could greatly benefit from doing these tried and true things, it would be a huge step up for them. But for those already on the band wagon, the question needs to be asked, 'what is unique about our church and what unique thing is God calling us to do?' If someone who's been checking out churches in your area came to yours, would it feel like all the others, or would there be something special, something unique, about it? The truth is that many of us will laugh out loud at this and think it's all about some other church. But is it?

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

How has your church addressed this issue?

How This Generation Comes To Faith

Earlier today I RT a statement from Tim Stevens (Granger Community Church that said this: Previous generation LISTENED their way to faith. Current gen TALKS their way to faith. They can't talk in a Sunday service.

I've received more than one dm asking for elaboration so here's the short answer:

It means that former generations took what they heard at face value, applied it, moved on. There was more trust in their elders and in those in authority. Our generation is much less like that. There are exceptions of course, but younger people of our day tend to question authority and authenticity in their leaders and like to ask the question 'why' a lot, so effective learning is more of a conversation, give and take, ask and answer. Doesn't mean there isn't a place for Sunday morning service, but it does mean that real life change happens more in the context of relationship, small groups, etc...

The argument could easily be made that TRUE discipleship has always been this way. After all Jesus modeled this from day one. This could very well explain why many large churches with excellent Sunday morning program have large numbers of followers, but small numbers of leaders. It's rare to find a really large church that exceeds the 50% mark in attendees that are plugged in to small groups of any kind. This tends to generate lots of low-mid level Christians but very few who are mature in their faith.

As a former staff guy and particularly as a worship pastor I have to admit that I LOVE a huge crowd on Sunday morning. It looks good, feels good, has lots of energy and excitement. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But as pastors/leaders, we need to never forget that this is only one small step in the discipleship process. We need to keep in mind that true discipleship happens in the context of relationship and conversation, not sitting and staring.

In the true spirit of this thought, I would love to hear what all you have to say. Hit me back.