Knowing that your church should start livestreaming is a step among many to get your church services online, you need to consider some factors as you choose which platform to send the live-stream.
I will share with you five (5) factors to consider as you choose the right platform for your church livestreams. Personalise it and don't forget to review this with your team.
1. CHURCH VISION
Not just to choose a platform to live-stream, anytime you need to adopt a tech or improve on old ones, don't forget to work within your Church Vision and set long-term and short-term goals.
Don't forget to consider checking the demographics of your Church's Members and Future Memberships.
2. PLATFORM FEATURES
Consider the features, interactivity and add-ons of each platform.
- Private Streaming
- One-way or Two-way Communication
- Integration into the Church Website, Social Media or Church Management System
- Trial Version (or DEMO)
- Stream Analytics
3. PLATFORM ACCESSIBILITY
Check how accessible the platform is to your congregation.
- Is the UI user-friendly? How easy will it be for an average member (based on tech knowledge)
- Does the platform support all devices, Smartphones, PCs, TVs etc?
- How friendly is the livestream process to teach new volunteers?
4. PLATFORM REQUIREMENTS
Check the basic and advanced requirements of the platform.
- Required Tech Gadgets
- Required Expertise in Personnel
- Other resources
Don't forget to consult your team on this, importantly.
5. BUDGET
You want to work within a safe margin of your Budget. As much as you can make it better with a bigger budget, you should consider what your current budget can achieve.
- Check for what it costs to use the platform
- Gadgets required
- Maintenance fees
- Consider Tech personnel.
To be futuristic about your choice of livestream platform, you can speak with your church finance team for a commensurate budget.
6. PLATFORM UI/UX
You want to consider a platform that can provide a focused and undistracted worship experience for your members. Some platforms are noisy with ads and others are integrated with other distracting features like suggestions of other live videos, etc. That's one of the downsides of streaming live to Social Media Platforms though it's evangelistic in use.
Considering these six factors, I believe you should be able to make a good choice of platform for your live services.
If all these feel overwhelming, consider reviewing the reasons why you need to start live-streaming.
If you have further questions on making the right choice of platform, reach out and I'll be glad to respond to you.
My name is David A. Adeleke, a Church Media Consultant and Digital Media and Communication Strategist.
Connect with me on Facebook, I share more on Church Media and Church Media Creatives.
In the meantime, keep spreading the knowledge of the glory of the Lord till it covers the earth as the water covers the sea.
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