Telling Your Story: Social Media

Liz Lennox

1/4/2021

If 2020 taught us anything, it's that an online presence is no longer optional, but necessary. Email newsletters, websites, livestreaming and social media are the most common ways that churches reach their members. However, it's important to remember that members of the church aren't the only audience that should be targeted with online content.

I'm the type of person who likes to make informed decisions. I always check out the menu before going to a restaurant and I make sure to assess the parking situation when visiting new places. I won't buy anything until I read reviews and learn everything I can about a product. If I can't find the information I'm seeking when making decisions, I'm more likely to not try it out.

That's what potential visitors to your church are doing. They are looking for service times, types of worship experiences, and core beliefs. Visitors want to feel like they know what the church is all about before even stepping foot into the building. A church's online presence is the best way to tell their story for both current members of the church and those considering attending.

In this first blog post of a series on "Telling Your Story", I'll share some tips for managing social media.

Maintaining a Social Media Presence

• Be strategic about what platforms you use: There are a number of social media platforms but it's not necessary to use all of them. Determine which platforms would be best for your target audience. Facebook is most commonly used by older adults, while Instagram appeals to youth and young adults. The fast paced nature of Twitter is often ineffective for small churches and too time consuming to maintain. Be smart about your time and tailor content to the platform.

• Create Visually Appealing Content: Every post should have a visual aspect (graphic, photograph, link with photo, or video). Not only do social media platforms prioritize these sorts of posts in individual feeds, visual posts grab the attention of people scrolling. You may want to create a customs graphic using programs like Adobe Spark (paid) or Canva (free option), or simply use a relevant stock photo from free websites like Pixabay, Unsplash, or Pexels.

• Balance Your Content: Make sure to rotate the sort of content you post to keep people engaged. Include photos and a write-up about your bible study, ask for donations for the church food bank, share a favorite bible verse, and advertise an upcoming event. Share posts from other United Methodist pages and links to relevant news stories.

• Invite people to like your page: The most important way to build your page following is to invite people to like your page and encourage people to share your content. You can send invites to your friends and family directly, but Facebook allows you to invite people who have liked a post on your page. You do this by clicking on the the "reactions" function underneath each individual post, which pulls up the names of everybody who has reacted to your post. To the right of their names will be a button that shows you if that individual follows your page. If they don't, a button that says "Invite" allows you to send a notification to that person encouraging them to like your page.

• Be smart with your time: If you have a smaller following, it may not be necessary for you to post every single day. Dedicate a few hours a week to creating content and use the scheduling feature to create multiple posts. Create a content calendar so important dates and events are on your radar.

These tips aren't comprehensive but may help you maintain a successful social media presence. If your church hasn't yet set up social media pages and you need assistance, contact me at liz.lennox@wpaumc.org.

Telling Your Story: Social Media

Liz Lennox

Maintaining a Social Media Presence

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