We know that, at times, your efforts can feel futile, with your carefully planned-out posts going almost unnoticed. But, don’t give up! This guide outlines how you can measure your church social media, how to implement a strategy, and grow your online presence. Keep reading to take your social media to the next level.
How to Measure Social Media Success
Beyond the standard likes and follows, there are many different ways to track social media success. Fortunately, platforms like Twitter and Instagram have built-in software for business accounts to track engagement in a more detailed way so you can start noticing what works and what doesn’t.
To properly track it, make a social media plan for your church in advance, so you can note the data in a meaningful way and implement it in your future posts. Electing a church volunteer or worker to be in charge of the social media accounts is the best way to ensure you are posting popular content regularly.
How Should Churches Use Social Media?
How churches use social media varies a lot as different church communities will have unique priorities. But, if you are not sure which direction to take your social media channels in and are looking for some inspiration, these are some of the most popular choices.
Information about church events, photos, and videos.
These will bring your church to life in the eyes of outsiders. When they visit your page they will see the actual experiences of being a member of your church, and your members get to see photos of their happy memories too!
Details about charities that your church supports.
Providing details about your church fundraisers will encourage people to donate. Plus, it will highlight the good that your church does for people, and causes that are close to the heart of your community.
Prayers, positive thoughts, good news.
Make the most of your social media following by sharing daily prayers. A thoughtful prayer can be retweeted, reposted, and re-prayed. Why not accompany it with some meaningful Scripture or an image?
How to Grow Church Social Media
There are many ways to grow your social media accounts. One of the most important is regular posting, so be sure to assign someone to this job. From daily events like prayer groups or mass to snippets from the children’s ministry classes, having an active account will gain much more attention.
Choose to post different types of posts to keep your content feeling dynamic and interesting. This way, you will appeal to a much wider selection of people too. So, be sure to include photos, videos, interviews, and prayers—anything you can think of! Cast your net wide when starting, and the most popular types of posts will soon become evident.
Church Social Media Post Ideas
If you are unsure what to post at your church, why not try some of these to get people engaged, interacting, and talking about your church.
Make a poll.
Ask your followers a question related to your current sermon series, upcoming event, or something that has been on the mind of your community lately. Polls get some of the highest rates of interaction, as they are effortless to respond to.
Go behind the scenes.
This is a great way to show a more personal, unseen side of your church. Whether you follow your volunteers as they set up for an event or take a look at what goes into kids’ ministry curriculum prep, this offers an interesting angle for people to see.
Spotlight a volunteer.
One great way to boost morale among your volunteers is to publicly praise someone who has gone above and beyond what is asked of them. You could do this semi-regularly almost as an employee of the month style post to let your workers know how much you care and appreciate everything they do.
Prayer requests.
Allowing people to send in their prayer requests lets your community feel more involved in the posts. This could be a once-a-week event, and people can choose to be named or remain anonymous. There is something that feels very comfortable in knowing your prayer is being said by many.
Interview your pastor.
Let people really get to know the person behind their Sunday service with an interview-style video that digs deep into their personality. Ask fun questions that humanize your pastor, transforming him into a person who people can connect with rather than a distant authority figure.
Whether you already have a thriving social media account and are looking for ways to improve or have just dipped your toe into the online ocean, following these tips will boost your engagement and your overall online following.
Our top tip is to have a person or team of people dedicated to operating your social media accounts. This stops private messages and comments from slipping through the net while ensuring you post regular content.
Your church social media strategy will vary depending on your specific goals and interests, but having an active online presence is the most important thing. Make sure you respond to messages quickly, retweet relevant posts, and keep your account thriving.