Amplify

Though I had written and talked and done other things in the “communication space” for years, I hadn’t actually thought about monetizing it until just over a decade ago when I went on a business trip to Hawaii. After that, I wrote a book, sold it on my website, and shipped it from the local post office.

Generally, Salter joined me— since he knew I would always stop at the coffee shop at some point during the errand.



I learned that— for many of us— self-publishing the book is THE BEST way to get the message out there fast, and it’s far more lucrative in the early days. (Plus, you can ALWAYS take it to a publisher once it’s a proven product.)

My first book went through multiple revisions and taught me a LOT about repurposing content.

In the end, the first two lessons I learned are these:

You created the message, so keep it and continue developing it.

Links:

📔Claim your free Process over Permission book that walks you through lessons like these: www.AmplifyOnline.info/process 

✅ Need help writing your book? Go to www.AmplifyOnline.info/MMB 

🖥️ These lessons are included in part 1, the Mind-shifts, of the Amplify course. Access the entire masterclass here: www.AmplifyOnline.info/course 

🚌 Free 30-day test-drive of the Kajabi software we recommend & use = https://app.kajabi.com/r/hWkYzZYA/t/8vmvk9af 

Churches are "always on," yet you can't be. You need an "off time. We teach you to distinguish between projects (things that occur once a season or once a year) AND processes (things that happen repeatedly). 

When you automate the processes-- recurring events such as visitor follow-up, staff meeting times, etc.-- you not only create mental margin, you also free your energy to focus on the things that matter the most.

This means you must distinguish between projects and processes— most church leaders never think about either one, let alone calendar them and create systems to implement them.

In the Gear Up framework we talk about several processes...

I want to review TWO of them here— as many churches make these after-thoughts, yet these can be growth engines that are easy to implement when done with a process / system.

This is simple to do— and can be cheaply outsourced if you don’t have a team to do it.

Step 1 = Deliver the message (which will be placed somewhere online after it’s done). Remember, you may or may not be a candidate for live-streaming. Don’t do it if you can’t do it well.

Step 2 = Pull 3 (approximately) 3-5 minute clips from your talk (for social media, a blog, YouTube, etc.).

Step 3 = Pull 3 (approximately) 30-60 seconds clips for Instagram and/or TikTok and/or Facebook and/or stories

Step 4 = Find a few quote cards, pictures, etc., for other social posts

(Note: setting up some of this on the front end and actually writing some of your own posts will help your message prep.)

📈 Leverage the talk and social media to grow your online audience— and then invite people in closer.

Using a content calendar to share the above (see the module provided, “How to create a content calendar”), grow your online audience with this 4-step strategy—

🖥️ Create a website using the guidelines we’ve outlined above (avoid the 7 mistakes; align with the 7 best practices). Be sure to collect the contact info of your visitors so you can communicate with them. It’s best, recall, if you can retarget them based on what they opted-in for.

🎥 📻 Place regular content on your site— your full sermon, or pieces of it in blog form (at the bottom of each post, always have a “next best step” to a related opt-in).

📱Post the shortest clips, pictures, and other forms of content on social media— but direct people from those small clips and images back to the bigger, new content on your website (i.e., the full talk).

📫 Email everyone each week to let them know about the new content…

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Gear Up course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GU 

How we can help your church = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CH 

How we can help your non-profit = https://www.amplifyonline.info/501c3 

Schedule a non-sales call = https://www.amplifyonline.info/talk 

More about managing your content in the Content Creation Made Simple book = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CCMS 

See the video, Transform Your Talk into 2 Months of Content, free access at https://www.amplifyonline.info/multiply 

The five facets of the church framework matter EQUALLY as much as the others. So, rather than working through a step-by-step process, you've got to touch on each of them at the same time, continuing to refine the whole.

In the same way a "locked cog" can stop an engine (and, in the same way a super-fast one can't speed it up any quicker than the other cogs go!), so also must you move each gear in the framework forward together.

A few things to keep in mind…

Every church’s (and non-profit’s) “engine” has five gears to address.

⚙️ #1 = Program / Path = what life transformation looks like, as well as a clear plan people can follow to get there

⚙️ #2 = People (including staff & volunteers) = on-ramps for people to connect & serve, what they do to join the mission of leading others on a path towards transformation

⚙️ #3 = Processes (the systems you use to get things done) = automating what you can, so you can focus on people, as well as written procedures so people know how to participate and serve at higher levels

⚙️ #4 = Place (the culture— environment) = the environment, the culture you set— the “feel” of how things are

⚙️ #5 = Purse (finances) = how you handle money, as well as creating a culture of radical generosity

Pay attention to the relationship of the five gears.

Here are three things to keep in mind about them—

👉 #1 = They all work together

Skill and spirit, structure and freedom aren’t at odds. David led with skill and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, according to Psalm 78:72— meaning every part matters.

The “practical” stuff can hinder you as readily as the spiritual.

👉 #2 = We could place them in any order— because they each matter.

👉 #3 = The weakest gear will be your first point of hindrance and will hamper your growth / momentum.

We explain in this talk…

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Gear Up course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GU 

How we can help your church = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CH 

How we can help your non-profit = https://www.amplifyonline.info/501c3 

Schedule a non-sales call = https://www.amplifyonline.info/talk 

More about the path / potential / etc. = blog post at https://www.amplifyonline.info/blog/IROI-4 

Your mission with the discipleship framework needs to be…

👇

Deploy your people back on mission. Don’t see “filling your building” as the end goal. Empower people to go back into the community with the resources of the church.

#1 = People want to know the next step— they don’t want to be controlled or forced, but they do want to be shown.

Examples—

⚾️ Rick Warren’s “bases” (Purpose-Driven Church)

📈 Growth Track (Church of the Highlands / ARC)

⚛️ Transformation (Word Alive)

⭐️ LifeLift & Purpose (get free access to each at www.Jenkins.tv/free and www.Jenkins.tv/purpose)

#2 = The tool you use— or create— needs to fit with your culture, so don’t just import something.

#3 = The path needs to be simple to understand— and it needs to work for the average person who gives it an honest try.

#4 = Not only do they need to be able to do it, people need to be able to explain it or it’s too complex (and they won’t be able to do it if they can’t say / communicate it).

Note: people can explain Rick Warren’s “bases,” or 101… 201… 301…

Or, they can articulate four steps….

If they can’t restate it, they can’t replicate it.

#5 = This means you will need to clearly state your path on your website (which is the front door of your church), as well as repeat it from the stage often.

#6 = And, remember, you will need to eliminate “inside language” and acronyms from your vocabulary.

Pro tip: confused people move on. And, they don’t like to feel stupid, so they’ll likely not tell you they’re confused.

#7 = Define a path that outlines what people do, as well as what’s unique at each step along the way, and they will walk it. They want direction— so much so that if you don’t give it to them they will look for it somewhere else.

A framework for life-change always has:

🏁 A clear destination of where you are taking people

🧭 A path that’s guaranteed to get them there

📍Milestones / checkpoints along the way— so they see progress and can celebrate “wins” in the moment.

Note: this is why I think you see a *boom of life-coaching right now. They are addressing issues, and outlining paths the church has better answers to.

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Gear Up course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GU 

How we can help your church = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CH 

How we can help your non-profit = https://www.amplifyonline.info/501c3 

Schedule a non-sales call = https://www.amplifyonline.info/talk 

More about the path / potential / etc. = blog post at https://www.amplifyonline.info/blog/IROI-4 

Claim your free LifeLift book = a life transformation resource = www.Jenkins.tv/free 

Here’s the first thing you need to know about social media…

👇

📳 Social media = should lead them TO your site and not FROM your site (i.e., never send people to Facebook or YouTube).

(If you understand this, you’re ahead of 90+% of all other thought leaders.)

In Amplify we teach several reasons not to build your home base on social media (and we show you how to best use it). Here are a few reasons not to send people from your site to social media (see Amplify, pages 159f.):

❌ Reason 1, You don’t know where they’ll be sent next = social media platforms are free, and advertisers pay big money to lure people to different forms of content. This is how Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. make their money.

❌ Reason 2, You— and your audience— are the commodity on social media = access to you is what’s begin sold.

❌ Reason 3, They will shut you down, throttle your posts, etc.— especially if you are religious = you won’t have access to your entire audience anyway (only 5% of your followers, on a good day, will see your posts).

❌ Reason 4, The platforms change, go away = they shut down, change algorithms, etc.

❌ Reason 5, Everyone demographic is on a different platform = meaning you will need to learn multiple platforms and communicate differently to reach everyone

✅ Use a content calendar, to make it easy (free one at www.AmplifyOnline.info/365)

✅ Fill that calendar (post every day) with some content, some “call to action,” some announcement, some inspirational…

✅ Integrate your social media with ALL of your messaging— email and in-person announcements and sermons and everything else

✅ Use social media to drive people to your site

✅ Remember, email is more valuable than social media

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Gear Up course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GU 

How we can help your church = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CH 

How we can help your non-profit = https://www.amplifyonline.info/501c3 

Schedule a non-sales call = https://www.amplifyonline.info/talk 

Blog video = Stop sending people away from your website = https://www.amplifyonline.info/blog/stop 

There are 7 common errors churches make on their website…

And, those mistakes often hinder their growth, b/c people visit your website before they ever attend your church. The online world is the new “front door.”

Here’s the run-down…

❌ Mistake 1, Insider information = using words, acronyms, abbreviations and other ways to communicate that the average person you are trying to reach does not understand.

❌ Mistake 2, Not recognizing who is coming to your site = forgetting to organize it in such a way that the newest person can quickly find out who you are, what you do, and why they would want to attend, where to attend, when to attend, etc.

❌ Mistake 3, Irrelevant info = Talking about things that are not pertinent at this point in their journey, such as a long doctrinal statement, extensive bio of the pastor (including where he met his spouse), what degrees he has, the names of his kids, etc.

(Note: some of the content you include is likely more important, but it’s just not relevant— yet. They want to know when and where to show up, what to do with their kids, and what to wear.)

❌ Mistake 4, Out of date = not paying attention to your site and letting it lapse.

❌ Mistake 5, Sending people away from the site to social media = never do this. We’ll explain why later.

❌ Mistake 6, Not having a next best step = you should always invite them to engage with you at a deeper level.

❌ Mistake 7, No way to give money = some people will want to donate, especially if they are following you online and not attending each week.

✅ Clean & concise, clutter free = we build a site at the end of module 7 in the actual course... 

✅ Capture their contact info = use an opt-in, tailored to where they are in their journey, and you will know how you can serve them better, as well as understand how to follow-up with them.

Note here:

👉 you might provide your membership class (online views will not cannibalize the in-person experience)

👉 you might provide tips on parenting

👉 you might package a sermon series on high-needs topics— like finances, time-management, marriage, etc.— and offer them as a free audio course…

(See the module on opt-ins and offers for more on how to do this.)

✅ Contact info for you = make sure they can email, call, or complete a form— all 3 is best.

✅ Content delivery = provide them with a taste of what you teach.

✅ Collect money = have a clear place to donate.

✅ Call to action = offer them a “next best step” to engage with you, ideally related to your discipleship path.

✅ Connection & community = invite them into a relationship at some level.

Pro tip: people will visit you online before they visit you in-person in most cases.

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Gear Up course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GU 

How we can help your church = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CH 

How we can help your non-profit = https://www.amplifyonline.info/501c3 

Schedule a non-sales call = https://www.amplifyonline.info/talk 

Blog video = 4-minute overview of 3 kinds of websites, and the one you need = https://www.amplifyonline.info/blog/three 

Most leaders who register for our Gear Up course or Gear Up resources do so to learn about using technology and communication for their church / ministry.

But that’s not where we begin.

We will show you how to do that, but you don’t want the “tail to wag the dog.” The technology is only a tool.

In the same you would wouldn’t allow a microphone to determine your message, you don’t want the technology to lead in your church. Integrate it into your mission and use it as a tool.

The place to begin is here:

Define what a "fully developed disciple" looks like.

Then, articulate a clear path to move people towards that goal. Make sure that it's written, that you have objective metrics in place, so people can clearly see where they are...

Once you create that goal, you need to map the path to get there…

And, you should articulate objective milestones that highlight progress from one space to another on this path— which can be unique to your church (but need to be consistent, so that you— and others— know where they are).

Examples might include:

📌 They’re connected once you have their contact info and have corresponded with (back and forth) multiple times.

📌 They’re part of the congregation once they attended 2x/month… or once they have registered for Sunday School, a small group, etc.

📌 They’re committed when they actively serve and/or give financially.

📌 They’re part of your core when they begin using their gifts, or when they step into a specific leadership role, etc.

You can decide the above, but:

👉 It needs to be consistent and objective (so it’s not how you / they “feel”), so everyone knows where they are in the process, and

👉 It needs to have clear next steps that make sense in the life of your unique church context…




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Links from this talk = 

Gear Up course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GU 

How we can help your church = https://www.amplifyonline.info/CH 

How we can help your non-profit = https://www.amplifyonline.info/501c3 

Schedule a non-sales call = https://www.amplifyonline.info/talk 

More about the path / potential / etc. = blog post at https://www.amplifyonline.info/blog/IROI-4 

Claim your free LifeLift book = a life transformation resource = www.Jenkins.tv/free 

Continued from the previous episode…

What to do if you’re starting (or re-starting) from scratch in the online space.

✅ #6 = Use social media to drive people to your site-- not AWAY from your site.

(Template available at www.AmplifyOnline.info/365)

✅ #7 = Special notes for 501c3 / nonprofit organizations

Pay attention here if even if you aren't a 501c3, because some of these will apply to you.

✅ #8 = Live videos... instagram, stories, facebook, reels, etc...

Use the template for your strategy.

✅ #9 = Do an actual launch (and re-launch of your book + course) every few months, multiple times a year.

See the "content calendar" training (www.AmplifyOnline.info/365) for specifics as to how.

✅ #10 = Repurpose everything you create...

✅ #11 = Take a deeper look at your funnel... map a long-term plan.

Finally, at the end we review these 6 + the 5 from the previous post.

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Links referenced in this talk =

The course for grant-makers = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GMM 

The Amplify course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/course 

The BIG BOOK = https://www.amplifyonline.info/BIG 

Watch this talk on video = https://www.amplifyonline.info/scratch 

Free 30-day test-drive / trial on the recommended web software, Kajabi = https://app.kajabi.com/r/hWkYzZYA/t/8vmvk9af 

I had lunch with a friend one day and learned he was about to launch a new book.

The problem was…

📙The book wasn’t ready for publication

🖥️ He didn’t have a pay-wall on his website to collect money and deliver content to people who paid for his videos that accompany the book

⚙️His team routinely bucked against any written down system

⁉️He didn’t know where to begin

I began sketching out— on a piece of paper— what I would do if I was starting from scratch. In reality, though he had a robust ministry, none of the online processes were working.

Most of them were broken.

We ended up with 11 items on our list.

A day later I emailed them to him…

And, when others began asking for the info, I outlined it in a webinar-style presentation (link at the bottom of this post).

Here are the first five things I would do…

#1 = Website = update it + build your home base... place a clear one-liner at the top.

Note: use this link to register for a free 30-day trial with Kajabi. When you register here, be sure to let us know, so we can connect you to additional resources and training, including templates you can “plug and play.”

#2 = Opt-ins = to collect email addresses of visitors, as well as send them targeted information.

#3 = Weekly podcast.

Note: we discuss several ideas to implement the podcast, as well as how to leverage the audience your guests...

#4 = Emails = 2x per week (broadcasts).

Notice the difference between broadcasts and sequences, as well as the strategy of using an email sequence with a one-time-offer on the "thank you" / confirmation page of your opt-ins, as well as including two offers in each sequence.

#5 = Blog, repurpose some of your existing content.

(See the module on "courses" in the full, robust Amplify video course for more on how to repurpose your content.)

(Continued in the next post)

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Links referenced in this talk =

The Amplify course = https://www.amplifyonline.info/course 

The BIG BOOK = https://www.amplifyonline.info/BIG 

Watch this talk on video = https://www.amplifyonline.info/scratch 

Free 30-day test-drive / trial on the recommended web software, Kajabi = https://app.kajabi.com/r/hWkYzZYA/t/8vmvk9af 

I met Andy Mason mid-2023. We’re in the same Facebook group, because we use the same software for our websites, emails, podcasts, courses, and more.

Eventually, we began working together (we share the story of how & why in the podcast— which originally aired on Andy’s site, Heaven in Business.

In this talk we discuss:

📣 The importance of your message— and why you want to protect it rather than focusing on the tech

(i.e., no speaker thinks the microphone IS the message, yet— in the online world— we often exclusively focus on the necessary, yet secondary, issues of technology).

📣 The best ways to get clarity on that message— and why you need to CLEARLY state what you do, how you serve people at the highest level, and how they can engage in your services.

(Tip: don’t be cute or clever, be clear…)

📣 The reality that you “old” content is valuable— and can (and should) be shared again and again and again and again…

(Resist the myth that “new” is always better. Use your old ideas to help “new” people follow the journey you took to get where you are.)

If we can help you clarify your message, so that you can communicate more clearly, and collecting growing revenues, reach out to us a the links at the bottom of this post.

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Infinite ROI is a communication framework that helps you state your marketing / messaging in less messy ways…

📌 You clarify who you are, what you do, and how you do

📢 You communicate that clear message— internally (to align your team) and externally (so potential clients know what you do)

📈 You collect growing revenues, while also making a bigger— Infinite— impact and experiencing ROI in multiple directions

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Andy Mason’s links:

🖥️ Heaven in Business website = www.HeavenInBusiness.com

🛠️ Free book, God With You At Work = www.HeavenInBusiness.com/free 

📲 Andy’s podcast = https://www.heaveninbusiness.com/podcasts/authentic-conversations-with-andy-janine-mason 

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Links for this talk =

Claim your free Infinite ROI worksheet(s) / templates on PDF at www.AmplifyOnline.info/IT 

See the ROI framework and on-demand course at www.AmplifyOnline.info/ROI 

Need help? Let’s talk = www.AmplifyOnline.info/talk