Why You Might Need An App… And Why You Don’t.
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“We need an app.” — said every random Pastor ever.
I feel like I’ve heard that a million times over the years and my reply is always the same — “what does the app do that the mobile website won’t do?”
I always reply that way because I would much rather invest in a stunning website that’s incredibly responsive for mobile than an app that only mimics what a great website could do. Sometimes though, there’s a really good reason for an app. That happened to be the case with the new app that I helped developed for Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL.
What does the app do that the mobile website won’t do you may be wondering? It does one thing, really really well. It’s a member hub. It does live-streaming and media in a way that is intuitive and makes it easily accessible at the front of the app while giving members the valuable tools they need to tithe and make donations, sign up and register for events, find and communicate with their groups, and check the calendar for the myriad of events that Olive has across both of it’s campuses.
So why do you need all of this in an app? It’s not so much what the app can do but what it creates room for. Through a strong member-focused application there’s now room for an outward-facing website focused on connecting guests with the church. It takes all of the information that members would need but that may not be relevant to first-time visitors and makes it easily accessible to those who attend the church on a regular basis.
What does that mean exactly? It means a visitor focused website aimed at reaching people who are looking at Olive for the first time. It means clean, easy-to-find information that isn’t cluttered and hard to scan. Information that is devoid of culturally exclusive language and is easily accessible by anyone who wants to connect with the church.
It means a better connection between the community that Olive lives in and the community that it is.
Travis Walser is a freelance digital content creator, designer, photographer, video creator, motion designer, podcast host, and all around jack-of-all trade creative in Pensacola, FL. His current full-time currently resides at olivebaptist.org as a Marketing Director managing a fantastic team of five incredible creatives.
Read more great content at traviswalser.com
Here’s a break down of where you can find me and connect:
- Creating awesome projects for myself and clients at traviswalser.com
- Shooting photos and posting content for your enjoyment on instagram.com/traviswalser
- Discoursing on life and creativity with a touch of snark on twitter.com/traviswalser
- Making cool videos, tutorials, and vlogging at youtube.com/traviswalser
- Hosting my own podcast called Ridiculously Creative here: anchor.fm/ridiculouslycreative
- Co-Hosting Talks with T & T here: anchor.fm/talkswithtandt
