STRUGGLING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?
When the world went on lockdown, a lot of us had our eyes opened to the power of reaching a wide audience through social media. Some churches had already established their virtual presence, played with livestreaming, and grown their online audience. Others were thrown into the deep end without so much as a swimming lesson.
Social media can be complex. A lot of churches struggle with:
- Knowing what to post
- Making sense of analytics
- Effectively using paid posts
- Knowing if you’re even making an impact
Wherever you are in your online ministry practices, we want to offer some helpful tips that can benefit and grow your social presence so you can reach more people with your message.
Recently, our team hosted a webinar that dove into this topic. And we’re sharing our top four takeaways (plus, some cool freebies) with you.
#1: SOCIAL MEDIA IS A MINISTRY
This might take a mindset shift. Social media is a platform, much like the pulpit or podium you speak from. Your audience may not be looking you in the eye, but they’re still listening.
Oftentimes, we want to think of this platform as a place to inform our audience. If we shift our perspective to think of it as a conversation, we open the doors to meaningful relationships, which ultimately help us reach more people for the Kingdom.
Think of social media as a STORYBOARD, not a bulletin board.
Much like a book is divided into chapters and pages, your social media story should be told one part at a time. People will start to see where they fit into what God is doing in your community.
#2: CONTENT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT, BUT IT SHOULD BE CONSISTENT
If the goal is to reach people where they are, it’s okay to let our posts reflect the imperfections we all carry. And the story of grace includes everyone in your organization. So, get them involved!
Planning and managing the social content for your organization shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of one person. Enlist and equip Social Volunteers to capture your story in its most authentic form. Let them snap photos on their phones and share those.
Share REAL photos of REAL people telling the story of what God’s doing in their life.
Once you establish your team, make a plan for what and when you will post. In the marketing world, this is referred to as a content calendar. You’re already preparing sermons, podcasts, and speaking notes. This is the meat of your message.
Now it’s time to break that into shareable, engaging chunks. Remember to use consistent variety. Optimize your content to encourage further interactions. This is how you form relationships that will connect your organization to your community.
#3: ANALYTICS DON’T HAVE TO BE A HEADACHE
As with any investment, it’s good to analyze the results of your efforts. Your social media ministry should have goals of reaching and engaging with your audience.
What does that mean? Your reach is the number of people who see your posts, and your engagement consists of interactions with your posts. Great ways to encourage interaction include:
- Polls
- Q & A
- Comments on Comments
- Posts that Drive Engagement
As you begin tackling analytics, first establish what things are important to you. Tracking data is good because it gives you insight into how your content is received and how your audience is interacting with it.
Remember, this data represents people who you want to reach with your mission!
If you’re wanting more information on analytics, check out our FREE resource: Making Sense of Your Online Numbers.
#4: PAID ADS ARE VALUABLE, IF USED CORRECTLY
If you’ve already been active on your organization’s social pages, you’ve likely been targeted by what we’ll call, ‘boost bait’. These notifications claim your recent post is outperforming your previous posts, and they encourage you to pay to get a further reach with your post.
While there are times when boosting your post may be of value, there are other paid advertisements on social media that may offer better returns. Instead, we recommend using Facebook Ad Manager. This allows you to optimize your posts for a specific, desired goal.
Think of it this way: $X for Y results.
Targeted ads allow you to track:
- Results: link clicks, landing page views, leads, etc.
- Cost Per Result: cost per click, etc.
Looking for more ways to get the most from your post? We’ve set up this awesome resource that includes tips on how you can optimize your social content.
When you look at numbers, remember what they represent — lives changed!
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER
Social media is tricky, but remember that it means little if it doesn’t help you execute your mission. Everything you do should be consistent with what God has called you to do.
We’re here to help you reach people. If you’d like a free 30-minute consultation to talk about whatever marketing needs your ministry has, fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.
