In July, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the social networking site hit a half-billion users.
Twitter now boasts 100-plus million users; 140 million blogs grace the Internet; and 48 million registered users watch YouTube. The digital revolution continues with more than 500,000 e-books available for download.
Smart phones, computer tablets and their accompanying applications seem to influence, even shape, habits of global media consumption.
B&H Publishing Group, the publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, understands the reality of modern communication and proves that a 119-year-old publishing house can still learn new tricks. B&H, with a renewed focus on digital initiatives, is positioning itself for the future by integrating new media strategies into timeless ministry practices.
Friends, followers and communities
Two years ago, B&H entered the social media scene by creating Facebook and Twitter accounts for its authors, the Holman Christian Standard Bible and its specialty imprints. A digital media team also created online communities like PrayerGates.com and LoveDareStories.com to test the online pulse of constituents.
Users responded positively to PrayerGates.com, which was designed as an online prayer community and was based on Beth Moore’s bestselling “Praying God’s Word.” The site exploded and now records thousands of unique visitors a day.
LoveDareStories.com also earned the respect of users and continues to regularly add new members. LoveDareStories.com is an online community for those reading “Love Dare,” the bestselling book based on the movie “Fireproof.” The community offers a platform for users to encourage each other in their marriages.
“More than a digital presence, we are offering a ministry presence,” said Aaron Linne, digital producer. “We have seen readers come to Christ as a result of visiting one of the community sites.”
Sites like PrayerGates.com and LoveDareStories.com now garner 50 percent of B&H’s online traffic, proving that customers in a digital age want to interact with resources.
“We were one of the first publishing houses to create our own Facebook-like interface for our resources,” Linne said, adding that an online book club featuring B&H authors will go live soon.
iPad, iPhone and e-books
Linne and Paul Mikos, executive editor of digital publishing, built upon the success of those initial online communities and began to posture B&H’s resources for smart phones and tablet computers.
B&H Publishing Group currently has 13 individually branded applications (apps) for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, with several more in development. Six of the 13 are ranked among the top 150 paid apps in the books category.
Considering that there are more than 30,000 available paid apps in the books category, ranking in the top 150 is an honor, Mikos said.
Also in the books category, two of B&H’s 13 ranked in the top 100 most downloaded free apps.
One of the most popular apps is the free edition of “Praying God’s Word” by Beth Moore.
The app comes with 30 Scripture prayers on the topic of overcoming unbelief and allows users to add 30 more for 99 cents each. Categories include overcoming depression, overcoming the enemy and overcoming food strongholds. Each category references Scriptures that address the topic. Better yet, the app has an interface that allows users to link straight to the Scripture.
“Praying God’s Word” has consistently ranked in the top 100 free apps in the books category since its release.
“From a ministry perspective, through this app we are able to see what the needs of our customers are,” Mikos said. “We can determine if they are dealing with rejection, addiction or depression. We can track that over a period of time and respond through ministry opportunities.”
Offering biblical solutions is key, Mikos said, when developing online apps.
“Scripture is the focus of what we do,” he said. “There are many apps available where Scripture is linked within the program. We include the Bible text with everything we publish in digital form. We want to enhance our customers’ experience, all the while connecting them to Scripture through our content.”
The implication of integrating the Bible into all apps and content means more users will be exposed to the gospel.
“We’ve moved from the Gutenberg model of the Bible being an isolated text to a digital model of the Bible being an imbedded text,” Linne said.
In many ways, orchestrating the use of online media for Linne and Mikos is a sacred opportunity.
“Ultimately we want God’s word to be shared through Twitter, Facebook and smart phone applications,” Mikos said. “Many of the applications facilitate that sharing and enable, to some degree, the ministry of providing biblical solutions for life.”
E-books
B&H resources are now available through major e-book distributors and devices. All new B&H books released since October 2009 have been published in print and digital formats, and more than 500 previously published books are being formatted and distributed through digital channels.
“The dynamic nature of digital media allows us to experiment with new ways of introducing – and re-introducing – our customers to our new and existing titles,” Linne said.
Statistics from new e-book releases confirm that customers are interested in a diverse selection of digital resources, from self-help books to Bibles and even fiction.
“Rooms,” a novel by debut author James Rubart, was offered as a free download for two weeks in April, the month the book released. The first week, the novel garnered more than 20,000 downloads. The second week, it more than doubled that number with 42,000 additional downloads.
“I believe content sells content,” said Julie Gwinn, trade book marketing specialist. “This experiment with digital promotion, like free downloads, seemed to jumpstart our marketing campaign for this book in the short run and for the author in the long run.”
Linne and Mikos agree that the world of electronic media is still so new that the rules have not yet been written regarding how ministries can use all things digital to maximize their ministry potential.
“Christ was the ultimate storyteller, sharing parables and insights from everyday things around him to tell truth and good news,” Linne said. “We are blessed to be born during a time and culture where content, discipleship and truth can be spread across the nations at the touch of a button, connecting the bride of Christ in new and powerful ways. We’re just honored to be exploring the possibilities, trying to follow Christ’s example.” – LifeWay