If you’re going to effectively use digital strategies to share the Gospel with people, you need to know the digital situation for that area or culture. You don’t want to create a strategy using Facebook Messenger if your target audience mostly uses WhatsApp. You don’t want to start a Twitter campaign if your target audience instead uses Weibo. Your evangelism mobile app may be great, but will it work if most of your target audience uses feature phones or has low Internet bandwidth?
This is why it’s so important to do research and develop personas for your ministry. It’s also why doing a digital assessment for your country can be very helpful. The folks at Mobile Advance have created a digital assessment template that you can use to gather the necessary information for your target area and find the right strategy based on the preferences and capabilities of that area.
This assessment helps you gather information on trends and market penetration for mobile phones, Internet, social media, and video. The Mobile Ministry Forum has posted the assessment to their website. Download it from this page for free to get started.
This assessment has “critical information for anyone considering development of a digital strategy in a particular country,” says Clyde Taber, Director of the Visual Story Network. “You will want to be in touch with what is available and what it is trending. Technology and social media evolve quickly so it is important to keep your finger on the pulse in your context.”
After you have filled out the assessment, we would love for you to share with us what you have learned and how it has impacted your strategies. Once you have completed this assessment, be sure to create or edit your personas with this Persona Creation Kit.