You Said: Communications

During February we circulated a questionnaire around the District in order to find out what people think about the way we share our news and communicate information. We also asked about people’s habits to establish when they spent most time online, which social media channels they follow and why, and also which devices they use the most.

Our intention is to improve the way we communicate, ensure we are keeping up with the latest communications trends and to reach our target audiences.

During the month 17 people responded to the questionnaire and have told us the following:

Social Media

-70% of people who replied are active social media users and 30% use it occasionally.
-Facebook, Whats app and Youtube are the most popular social media channels amongst those who responded, with Twitter and Instagram falling quite a way behind.
-70% use social media all the time, 18% use social media in the evening and 12% in the morning.
-The majority of responders follow the District on social media the most popular channel being Facebook.
-50% said they like, share, comment on post occasionally and only a small number said regularly or never. When asked why this was, the replies included “not interested” “have problems with smart phones” “I use it to find stories for the church newsletter”
-60% of responders like posts with images but only sometimes with videos and a happy to click on a link to find out more.
-People who replied also said they follow The Methodist Church, their local circuit, local church and the Evangelism and Growth team on social media.

District Newsletters

-94% of responders receive the weekly District newsletter and shared the following comments about why they like it: "Informative." "news about the district" "Its regularity and coverage, but it does not always have material of interest to our church."
-Everyone said they either always or sometimes click on the links to find out more and the most read sections are: Weekly News, Events & Safeguarding Update.
-When asked what was missing, replies included more local information and also asking for spotlights on area and topics.
-76% of people said they don’t receive Mission News but if they did they’d like it monthly, twice yearly or when it’s relevant.

District Website

-82% of responders said they visit the District website occasionally or frequently and it’s when they require more information, or to find a policy or to find something specific.
-70% use a laptop or computer to visit the website and 30% use a smart phone or tablet.

Many thanks to everyone who answered our questions, this information is very useful and will shape the way we share news and information in the future.

Do you write your circuit or churches newsletter or run the social media channels or website? Would you like to find out more about whether your communications are reaching the right people? Would you like to create a communications questionnaire? If so please contact District Communications Officer Sam Roberts on comms@sheffieldmethodist.org