3 Steps to Building Your Online Presence With Ron Edmondson

Ron Edmondson is quick to tell you that he is first and foremost a pastor.  And, while that is true, he also has a strong online presence that uniquely qualifies him to talk about social media.  His leadership blog is widely read, and he is active on Twitter and Facebook.

I met Ron online through Twitter, and we began discussing various leadership issues.  Just north of Nashville Ron started one of the fastest growing churches in the U.S.  He recently moved to Kentucky to lead another church.  Before he joined the ministry, Ron was a business owner.  His experiences running a small business, starting and rapidly growing organizations, and leading online were all topics I wanted to ask him in person.

In this nine-minute interview, we discuss:

  • The similarities and differences between leading a business and a church
  • How he has grown a church through the use of technology and social media
  • Why he was an early adopter of the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, and blogging
  • How he found his “blogging voice”
  • Mistakes he made along the way

I especially appreciated Ron’s advice to leaders who want to start building an online presence:

1.  Start with a purpose.

2.  Develop a plan for how to do it.

3.  Don’t rush–systematically build it and let it grow over time.

As one of the early online leaders and bloggers, I also was interested in the benefits he sees from his work online.  Some of the benefits are:

  • Provides resources
  • Spurs new thinking, insights and ideas
  • Increases attention on leadership development
  • Connects to people all over the world
  • Influences people and reaches individuals he otherwise would never meet

Someone once asked me, “Skip, as a business leader, why do you talk about pastors, conductors, restaurant owners and athletes?”  My answer is that I love people and love to learn.  It’s valuable to study success wherever you find it.  My most valuable learning often comes outside of the business arena, and that’s the case with this unique pastor.

If you are interested in online marketing, best practices in social media, or leadership tips, you will enjoy watching this video and hearing Pastor Ron Edmondson’s perspective.

 

What benefits have you seen from increasing your online presence? Where do you go to spur your creative thinking? Do you study others outside of your industry? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Please note: Your e-mail address will not be displayed. I do reserve the right to delete comments. See my comments policy.

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  • http://www.jaysonfeltner.com/ Jayson Feltner

    I really enjoy these interviews Skip! I’ve been following Ron for a while. He is a great example of a leader and his blog is always on the top of my reading list. Along with yours of course.

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Thank you. I know Ron has been at it longer than most anyone and has been amazingly consistent. He is a great example of how to build an online presence.

  • http://twitter.com/RonEdmondson Ron Edmondson

    Thanks for the interview Skip. Watching it reminded me how fun it was to hang out with you.

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Make sure you let me know when you’re visiting the area. I’d love to visit with you again.

  • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

    For those trying to get in, sorry for the problem this morning. Ron proved so popular that the traffic overwhelmed us.

    • http://www.thedailyretort.com/ TorConstantino

      Those are great problems to have! I really enjoyed this interview with Ron, I had the opportunity of meeting him in person at the Bloggers Meetup at Catalyst in Atlanta last year. Great stuff!

      • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

        Thanks, Tor. You have a great web presence.

  • Steve Pate

    An excellent reminder to balance a focused goal with the willingness to explore and learn along the way.

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      Yes! And with an amazing amount of discipline.

  • http://michaelhyatt.com/ Michael Hyatt

    Thanks for interviewing Ron. He does a great job online. I often use him as an example for other pastors to emulate. Love it!

    • http://www.skipprichard.com/ Skip Prichard

      I didn’t realize how well you knew each other until we talked. (And, of course you would!). He is a great example for pastors and really anyone leading from the front. Both of you have shown the dedication to transparency and the discipline to keep at it. And for us relatively new bloggers, you make it look much easier than it is.

    • http://twitter.com/RonEdmondson Ron Edmondson

      Thanks Mike. Miss hanging out.