A client called the other day wondering why more people weren’t using their brand spanking new synagogue website. It was a nice site, all the bells and whistles, and there wasn’t a very good reason I could see that no one was using it. But it didn’t take long to figure out what the problem was.”Well, do the people in your congregation know about the site?”
“We sent an e-mail when it launched.”
“Do you mention it in your monthly bulletin?”
“No.”
“Do you have the URL on your business cards?”
“No.”
“Do you tell people during services that they can find more information on the site?”
“No.”
“Do you have a message on your voice mail about the website?”
“No.”
And that’s the problem with many websites – synagogue or otherwise. Just building it isn’t enough. Just mentioning it once isn’t enough. The marketing begins with other channels – and you undoubtedly have many available. Think about all the ways you touch your community, and make sure you use them to mention your website and its benefits.
Eventually they’ll come, and if you do it right, they’ll keep coming back.