When The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Robert Walz as the Director for the Utah County Young Single Adult and Married Students Social Media Pilot Project eight years ago, Walz looked for things nearly 60,000 students could do to promote missionary work.
“We tried a different thing over the last eight years. I probably tried 25 things that did not work,” said Walz.
Walz tried every social media platform out there: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Tiktok.
He finally found two or three platforms that actually worked.
“So we concentrated and focused on those things of how to use social media, and what we came up with was a theory that I utilize now that that’s called relationship-based marketing.”
The theory used in this app called “Do Good” focuses on the connections students or members of the Church already have with other people. The app provides inspiring content members of the Church can share to help others feel the light of Christ.
“Do Good” is an app that helps people pray, study and serve others. Walz thinks that when people feel the light of Christ, it creates an opportunity for them to ask their member friends a question about the Church.
“We don’t know whether they are ever going to ask us questions about our church and that’s fine.”
Walz said that the most important thing Church members have to remember is to let their friends know how much they care about them.
Ryan Kleinman, a Broadway actor and a devout member missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, agrees that the key to missionary work is love.
“If you are doing it with love, the love will still exist. … Even if they do not care about the message, they will still care.”
