How to Boost Your Church Social Media
Church leaders play a significant role in directing the course of their church’s online presence. Designing a church social media strategy that appeals to all corners of your congregation will keep everyone involved and the conversation flowing.
Your online community says a lot about your church, so why not boost the quality of yours?
Design a Church Social Media Strategy
You are missing out if you don’t have a social media plan for your church. As social media for churches functions as a business would, you need to strategize your posts to maximize engagement and reach as many accounts as possible. Posting various types of content is essential for appealing to a diverse target audience.
Having a social media strategy in place means you stay on top of your schedule, never forget to post, and maintain consistency online. Check out our blog post on developing a church social media strategy and learn how to make the most of your online presence by posting compelling content.
Post Content With High Engagement
Posts with high levels of engagement will get the most visibility. This means coming up with church Instagram post ideas involving polls and asking for opinions. Sharing content your online community will find interesting and want to interact with will help your account to expand its reach. It’s important to pepper posts like these throughout the week so they feel natural and relevant instead of spam-like.
But be cautious of seeking empty engagement. Meta is cracking down on online baiting as a way to artificially reach the Facebook newsfeed.
Accounts that regularly make posts that ask for likes, tags, comments, or shares will be restricted. Promote authenticity in your church’s online presence by asking genuine questions, sharing interesting articles, and generating legitimate engagement.
Discover Your Online Sentiment
High engagement is something that a lot of accounts strive for, but the truth is that it isn’t everything. Analyzing your online sentiment means paying closer attention to the feelings associated with the post rather than crunching the numbers alone. For example, you might have an Instagram post with thousands of likes, but that alone doesn’t tell you how people feel about it.
Sentiment analysis takes a closer look at the language people use and the tone of their voice. Are most people frustrated at a communication breakdown? Are your online visitors enthusiastic about an upcoming event?
To identify the emotions, you must evaluate the content and summarize the type of interaction you receive.
Change Negativity Into a Positive
Not all of your posts will go down well with everyone, and that’s just something we need to accept. It might feel like some people seek out your social media page only to complain about an issue they have, but you have no control over this. However, you can control your response to negativity and how you react to those who criticize your ministry.
Take the time to answer people’s frustrations online, and you may find you can change their opinions for the better. Taking feedback on board is essential, as these seemingly negative comments can offer you valuable guidance on ways to improve experiences at your ministry. Try to invite people back even after negative comments – you might win them back through a better experience.
Create Online Spaces for Small Groups
Cultivate a space for more meaningful interactions in addition to your overall church social media pages. Offering each small group an online place to talk, discuss, and share content will elevate your church’s online community. People may feel more comfortable having conversations in smaller groups.
Building a kids’ ministry Facebook group and Facebook page will add a practical element to your church’s online presence. A closed Facebook group can be the perfect place for tips to be shared and questions to be asked amongst parents and families, whereas a Facebook page acts like a social media landing page for prospective attendees to get a glimpse of what life is like at your church.
Streaming Sermons Online
Make your church services limitless by streaming your sermons online. This removes any geographical constraints on your virtual congregation, so people can tune in from all corners of the world. It also enables regular attendees who are on holiday or sick to still tune into the Sunday service.
Adding a chat option during the live stream allows your pastor to create a more interactive experience. People can use it primarily for sharing words of prayer like “amen” or can use the space to share their thoughts about the sermon and thank the church leader. Opening up discussion during an online event will build feelings of community even if the virtual congregants have never met in person.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that a bustling and dynamic online church community rarely comes about by accident. Instead, it is the result of strategy, planning, and commitment on the part of ministry leaders. Elevate your online platforms by designing a church social media content calendar to keep you on track and ensure your church is consistently posting interesting and relevant things your congregation can relate to.