So, let’s review, we have a worship night on Friday, service day on Saturday morning, we are adding those three classes in on Saturday night, and Sunday is coming…
Sound familiar? The calendar can change at a moment’s notice. As the social media manager, it’s your responsibility to let your church’s congregation and members know what’s happening. Here are 5 social media tips to help you navigate day-to-day posting and those special “emergency” situations when you have 30 seconds to come up with something that dazzles your followers. With these tips you are sure to be #winning!
1. Plan Ahead
- Some things like Sunday services and Wednesday night programming you can always count on. Those events are a perfect start to any church social media calendar.
- Point people to your Church Online feed, choose a pull quote from the sermon, repost the sermon video on Wednesday for a #WordOnWednesday. The possibilities are endless.
- Programs: Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social
2. Be Consistent
- Give something to your followers that they can count on. Whether it is a weekly quote from the pastor, a familiar face for announcements, or doing #TuesdayTakeover, it’s important for your social media to be consistent in scheduling and content.
3. Go Live
- Facebook and Instagram live are great tools you can use to give your followers a behind-the-scenes view into your everyday routines, meetings, event prep, worship practices, etc. Just remember, it is live!
- Give your followers a heads up before you go live so you can get the most engagement out of the experience. Keep it simple with a quick video to invite viewers with the date and time they should tune in.“Catch up with us tomorrow at noon on Facebook when we will be interviewing our Worship Pastor, John! We will be learning his top 5 songwriting techniques.”
4. Tell a Story
- Have you heard? Instagram stories are where it’s at. Instagram has recently booted out Snapchat with it’s story feature. Because of the new algorithm, people are seeing the stories of the profiles they like, are tagged in, and view most often first.
- Instagram stories can be casual, more engaging snippets of your church’s people, purpose and promise. So get creative with the stickers, boomerangs and zoom on your next story.
5. Keep it Real and Engaging
- It’s commonly understood that people respond to people, so why not keep it real with your photos? Try to avoid text based posts and show your followers what life at your church is really like.
- Ask questions, repost photos you’re tagged in and get your audience involved. Engaging posts make followers feel included and appreciated.
