On Mondays I post an interview with a social media marketing expert. My blog focuses on using social media to promote books (particularly self-published books), and I believe authors can really learn a lot about successful social networking by following the experts.
This week we meet Robert Murphy, Online Campus Pastor at Christ Community Church (@CCCOmaha). His bio on Twitter reads: Husband | Father | Information/Pop Culture/Sports/Truth Junkie | Former Missionary | Follower of Jesus
Read more about Robert Murphy on his blog here.
KS: Tell me about your company – how it was created and what you do.
RM: Christ Community Church was founded in 1921 by R.R. Brown. For a church that has been around 90 years, it continues to grow and remain relevant in the community. This past July, I began my role as an Online Campus Pastor. I will be serving and interacting with an online audience that is increasingly living their life online than offline. Before my current role, I was an Art Director for five years. During my time as the Art Director, I started my organization’s social media presence. It was something I had to do on my own, at first, because some of my leaders didn’t understand it and thought it was a waste of time. Now, they encourage all staff to utilize social media because they’ve seen the results of my social media efforts.
KS: Who do you feel can benefit from a social media marketing strategy?
RM: If you are trying to reach people online to some degree, then you can benefit from some sort of strategy.
KS: How long have you been blogging and what is the primary focus of your blog?
RM: I have been blogging, personally, since 2005. It grew out of my writing and journaling, which I’ve been doing since high school. I use to be a missionary, so I’d travel a lot. I’d often fill composition books with long form writing of my experiences. Usually, I blog about whatever I’m interested in. A “small” sampling of topics would be: my work (as an Art Director and now Online Campus Pastor), the show Lost, Husker football, my family, Jesus, the church, addiction, Pearl Jam, marketing, getting older, minimalism, media and more.
KS: What is your favorite social networking site? Why?
RM: I consider it more a service, but Twitter is my favorite. Through it, I’ve met countless new people, made new friends, established a deeper connection with the community I live within and am able to have my fingers on the pulse of what is going on around the world.
KS: What is your #1 piece of advice for social networking newbies?
RM: Pick a service and start using it. (I would encourage Twitter.) You’ll learn a lot more by doing than reading up on it. Have the account be a true reflection of you, or your company, and not just PR. Consistently use it, get ideas from a variety of people/accounts, engage in the conversations around you. 6-9 months later you’ll really see a return on your use.
To find out more about David Risley and PC Media, Inc., visit:
Website: cccomaha.org
Blog (personal): ramhatter.com
Blog (work): cccomaha.org
Twitter: @ramhatter
Social media has really become a vehicle in marketing. It has proven effective in terms of reaching multitude of people.