Style Guide
Jessica Espada December 8, 2021
Who is Naples United Church of Christ?
Naples United Church of Christ (NUCC) is a protestant, congregational church within the UCC denomination, located in Naples, Florida and established in 1973. As a congregational church, the leadership and direction come from its committees in cooperation with clergy and staff; major decisions are made by the executive board, made up of NUCC members. NUCC is an “Open and Affirming Congregation” (ONA), meaning it embraces the diversity and affirms the dignity and worth of every person. All who desire to participate in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, and blessings is welcome. Its worship style is traditional, in a New England-inspired Sanctuary and campus. NUCC boasts the best technological capabilities in Naples and regularly livestreams worship, special services, concerts, events, and meetings from various spaces inside its campus buildings. As a brand, NUCC is church that seeks to welcome and affirm everyone and do the work of the Gospels. To that end, the purpose of the brand is to encourage people to connect with God and each other. Social Media Accounts: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaplesUCC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naplesucc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naples-united-church-of-christ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NaplesUCC Website: https://www.naplesucc.org/
Target Demographics
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The majority of the congregation is affluent white women and men who are 60 years or older. Women outnumber men. The vast majority of this group is retired from their careers. Many are “snowbirds” meaning they live in Naples for 5-7 months and then return to northern cities/towns for summer months. Members of the LGBTQ community who want a church home. Most of these folks are mature (over 40 years old) and are primarily couples. Small group of families (5-10 families) with children (infant to grade 6) enrolled in Children’s Ministry programming. Household income likely exceeds $125k annually or is reflected in assets.
Core Demo: Women, 55+ years, college educated, HHI $125k+
Photo of member who fits NUCC demographic
Psychographics •
Habits: Most of the congregation are traditional media consumers. They are older (boomers), they read books; when they do use the internet, it’s for news, social or shopping, but they still prefer television, books, films in theaters. Hobbies are socializing, entertaining, reading, exercising, some activism (esp. Planned Parenthood or Food Bank).
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Attitudes: They likely have a traditional attitude about church and feel they “should” go to church as should others. They are happy to see families and
children at church. Going to church (physically) is one way they connect with the community. They have a habit of going to church, desire a spiritual message, enjoy being part of the in-person experience (physically in the Sanctuary), having a place to go for which to dress up, give them a feeling of doing some good, making a larger impact. Their attitudes were likely formed because their parents raised them in a church. •
Motivation: Sunday worship drives the traffic because of the sermons, the music, the members/community. The church may enjoy some “status” in the community because of the wealth of members or optics. At a deeper level, the theology and socioeconomics of members are a match for them or mirror their identities.
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Influences: Most of the congregation is of an older generation so they trust authority/institutions even if they are discontented with them. They trust the broadcast/national and local news, word of mouth, their friends and family. They may attend church because they inherently trust churchgoers and they want to surround themselves with trustworthy people. They are still insular even if they do have social media accounts. They’re not likely to follow strangers online, yet they can be vulnerable to bad actors on social media because they are novices. They are very interested in maintaining social standing, being seen, and being recognized by clergy and staff.
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Pain points:
Health issues: Because of Covid, many members choose to stay away physically because of health vulnerabilities. They may already have health issues or are away for extended periods because of surgeries/cancer treatments or caretaking of a family member. They may also be away during the summers (May to October) because they are “snowbirds” and spend this time in their northern homes with children/grandchildren and “home” communities of origin. o Technology is also a barrier. They lack a technology “habit” of seeking social or web platforms to stay involved. While some do attend worship online, many are out of sight out of mind because to them, church is a place you physically attend. They are not active on social media so when they are away physically, they are not connected. o
Brand Archetype The Caregiver If NUCC were a person, Julie Andrews would be a good choice to embody the brand. Julie Andrews is the same generation as its core demographic. Additionally, she embodies the caregiver, especially in her roles as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp (The Sound of Music), which are inseparable from her. These characters dream of a better world and correct injustices along the way—just like NUCC strives to do.
Frequency NUCC posts to social media almost daily. Facebook is where it is most active and posts five days a week. Facebook is also one of three sources from which people can livestream worship services on Sunday mornings. The brand has Instagram and Twitter accounts, but they’ve not been developed fully and are a work in progress. NUCC also has a presence on LinkedIn and uses that platform for recruiting. Posts here are rare. NUCC is also quite active on YouTube, which is another source for livestreaming and stores all videos for on-demand playback. Frequency recommendations:
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Facebook- post daily on Facebook. Currently posting on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Find ways to post on Wednesdays and Fridays. Suggested content: conversation starters on relevant or spiritual topics, user generated content, pictures and information from past (recent) events, committee updates or events.
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Instagram- for now, post once per week. Begin with micro-content to point to blogs (hosted on website).
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YouTube- no changes necessary.
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LinkedIn- new post monthly to keep the page active.
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Twitter- consider closing this account as it is out of use and no voice has been defined for it. Or develop a plan and content for this unique platform.
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Additionally, create a new Instagram or Pinterest account for Children’s Ministry. Post twice a week from the Children’s Ministry newsletter.
Voice The voice of NUCC is kind, respectful, and knowledgeable. It is positive but not overly energetic. It can be playful, but is sincere, not sarcastic or joking. NUCC does not use emojis in general, but also never say never. This could happen on Instagram when that platform is developed more fully, or for a sub-brand of NUCC like Children’s Ministry. Hashtags frequently used are: #NaplesUCC #OnlineWorship #NaplesFlorida #SermonSegment #ChildrensMinistry #NaplesKids #SundaySchool #Interfaith #UnitedChurchofChrist Seasonal: #Advent #ChristmasEve #ChristIsBorn #Epiphany #Lent #Easter #ChristIsRisen #Pentacost Terms/Grammar:
Some style guidelines exist, but I propose two important additions. • NUCC is the abbreviation for Naples United Church of Christ (not N.U.C.C., etc.) • “Online worship” or “worship online” is the term used for those who worship online, not in person. “Virtual” is not a term to use for this as its primary definition is something that is partial, not complete, or not real. Online viewers should be referred first to the website (to drive SEO). • Try to avoid jargon, especially for committee names as it can feel exclusive of those not familiar with them. Example: Board of Mission & Outreach, not BOMO. • Months of the year, days of the week are spelled out fully. Times are: a.m. or p.m. except when in a digital text (to reduce character count). Only use minutes when the time is not on the hour: 4:30 p.m. The zeroes of the hours are dropped: 4 p.m., not 4:00 p.m. • Avoid using italics. • Phone numbers use parentheses: (239) 261-5469 • Full titles are given for clergy but are abbreviated. Use definite article before title when possible. Example: … the Rev. Dr. Dawson B. Taylor …
Visual Guidelines Hub Theme 1: Worship Content Formula: Inspiration + video + worship
Guidelines: Use brand fonts and colors, use photography and video 1) Sunday, December 5, 2021 11 a.m. Luke 3:1-6 Welcoming the Unexpected: Peace Rev. Dr. Dawson B. Taylor, Senior Minister #naplesucc #Advent #AdventPeace #naplesflorida #onlineworship
2) Tomorrow is the second Sunday of Advent. We hope you can join us for worship! Luke 3:1-6 Welcoming the Unexpected: Peace Rev. Dr. Dawson B. Taylor (Attend in person, watch streaming on our website or Facebook, or on demand on YouTube.) #naplesucc #onlineworship #Advent #AdventPeace #childrensministry #sundayschool
3) Welcoming the Unexpected Join us for a meditation service featuring music by Glenn Basham on Violin. This week's meditation is by Rev. Dr. Dawson B. Taylor, Senior Minister. #naplesucc #onlineworship #Advent
Hub Theme 2: Going the Distance Content Formula: Inspiration + blog + Going the Distance
Guidelines: Use brand fonts and colors, use these short videos to point to the blogs. The first frame identifies the hub theme, the blog series, and the second is the title of the blog with an excerpt. Use steeple logo in circle in lower right corner. 1) Read "Solid Rock or Sinking Sand?" by the Rev. Angela Wells-Bean (link in bio) #naplesucc #Advent #AdventPeace
3) Read “Bar Mitzvah” by the Rev. Dr. Dawson B. Taylor (link in bio) #naplesucc #Advent #AdventHope
4) Read “Waiting in Hope” by the Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris-Ewing (link in bio) #naplesucc #Advent #AdventHope
Hub Theme 3: Sermon Segment Content Formula: Inspiration + video + worship
Guidelines: Use brand fonts and colors, use photograph of the cross in the chancel (can be seasonal as shown in the advent wreath photo) 1) ICYMI (link in bio) #naplesucc #sermonsegment #thanksgiving
2) ICYMI (link in bio) #naplesucc #sermonsegment #advent #AdventHope
3) ICYMI (link in bio) #naplesucc #sermonsegment #advent #AdventPeace
Hygiene Content
Guidelines: Use brand fonts and colors, photography or graphics 1) #naplesucc #thanksgiving
2) #naplesucc #AdventPeace
3) #veteransday🇺🇸 #veteransusa #naplesucc #socialjustice
Profile Pictures
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube:
will appear in circular frame LinkedIn:
Rules of Engagement •
Negative comments and reviews will be responded to quickly, directly, and publicly. Responding to negative comments gives us the earliest opportunity to avoid crisis. Responses will always be polite and professional. Any commenter requiring more than two (2) responses will be offered direct contact information to resolve the conversation offline. If necessary, issues arising on social media will be escalated to the appropriate personnel.
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Engagement from other religious organizations is welcome. NUCC values interfaith with churches, temples, places of worship as we feel we are not competing. Responses will always be polite. If comments from these organizations is negative, they will be escalated immediately to be handled offline.
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Photo credit will be given if a photo taken by someone other than an employee is used. Children will never be named in posts. Tagging is disallowed. Users will have to post on their personal pages to tag people and use NUCC as the location or share with NUCC.