So far, we’ve talked about how to build an online ministry and what it takes to foster a genuine online community. This week, we’re rounding out our series with some advice for managing your church’s social media.
As you know, technology’s come a very, very long way and completely changed how we interact with one another and especially how we access information on a daily basis. Whether we like it or not, technology is here to stay!
So the question becomes, how can we make technology work for ministry? How can the church grab hold of what’s going on and use it to reach more people? Should the church even use technology to reach people? The answer is an overwhelming YES!
There was once a time where we used to wait on the 5 o’clock news to catch up on the latest developments. Now that we have smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, we get those updates instantaneously!
The way we communicate with one another drastically changed. We no longer call for short conversations. Instead, we just send a text. We post pictures and videos of what’s going on in our lives and share it with the world. That’s exactly why it’s so important for the church to find a way to engage through social media and online ministry. Knowing this, as churches, our overall objective should be to create a level of communication that meets people where they are and where they spend so much of their time—online.
Keeping Social, Social
One of the biggest things to keep in mind is that the key word in social media is “social!” It’s not just about posting content, but interacting with those that communicate with you and follow you on various social media channels. How can you create real community online?
Truthfully, nothing can replace in-person engagement, but you can find a way to establish online community engagement through social media. It starts with developing a plan for how you are going to implement your social media strategy. The first hurdle you have to cross is deciding what social media platform you are going to use and how much time you are going to dedicate to it.
6 Steps to establish your church’s social media strategy
You have to develop a strategy in order to cultivate the experience you want to establish via social media. Here are a few helpful tips that I utilize in order to create a good workflow.
1. Decide which social media platform you are going to focus on. It’s better to be great at a couple of social media platforms than try to do all of them and fail at posting consistent content.
2. Figure out your voice. The social media content you post has to relate to the message and the voice of the ministry. This establishes synergy.
3. Determine how often you are go to post throughout the day. Remember you don’t want your content to become background noise to the people following you.
4. Create compelling and life changing content that tells the story of the ministry. It's powerful if you can tell the story of life change on social media.
5. Check and double check your posts before they go out. Remember you are representing not only your ministry but Christ. Give it your best!
6. Work smarter not harder! There are tons of tools that allow you to schedule content in advance. Stay ahead as much as possible!
Once you establish answers to these 6 points, you’ll have a great start to your overall strategy. Remember, the audience you ignore will ignore you! So get out there and be social!
On October 27, we’re hosting a live webinar to talk about what it takes to build an awesome, life-giving online ministry. Register to claim your spot!
