From Christian Media Magazine
Social media – it’s what everyone is doing these days. More importantly, it’s where everyone is. Even churches are on social media. Church social media doesn’t have to be any different from regular social media – and in fact, it shouldn’t be. Your church’s Facebook page, Twitter feed, or Instagram profile should be places where people feel comfortable. Church members and visitors alike want to feel connected to the church, and to engage with all aspects of the ministry.
Do you have a Social Media Director for your Church?
So how does your church achieve this engagement and connection? If you want everyone to be involved, then it’s tempting to literally get everyone in the church involved – that is, to have every member and occasional church-goer to post pictures on social media.
Now of course if people are excited about your church, they’ll be doing this on their own Facebook profiles and Instagram feeds. But your church should have its own official social media pages, and therefore your church should also have its own official person dedicated to managing the church’s social media.
Whether it’s a paid staff member or a volunteer, ideally there should be just one person who is the social media director for your church. Why? Here are a few points to consider:
A consistent, positive image for your church.
Even if other people contribute to the posting to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, a social media director gives the final say on what’s approved or not. With one person ultimately in charge, you can be assured of having a consistent image of your church being portrayed out there on the Internet. It’s the social media director’s responsibility to monitor all the content being put out there by the church.
A consistent posting schedule.
Timing is important with social media – not so much the time of day or even how often you post, but what really matters the most is consistency. Regular posting gets more of your content out there for people to see. And what regular, consistent posting really does is build trust. Church members and visitors alike want to be able to count on your church having the sermon up on YouTube every Sunday afternoon, or having the weekly calendar of events posted every Monday morning. A social media director should be in charge of maintaining a posting schedule and sticking to it every day, every week. This builds credibility in the eyes of your followers.
A church social media director should be regularly involved in the church’s activities. This way, he or she can get real life, real-time stories, photos, and details about happenings at the church. Everybody loves reading encouraging quotes and Bible verses on social media, but people also want to connect with your church and the people there. Videos from the youth group camp, blog posts from the mission trip, and even snapshots from the potluck dinner get people excited and give them something to connect with on social media. Keep it personal, keep it real.
Conclusion
If your church is already active on social media, then great! Take your church’s social media presence to the next level by streamlining your content under the direction of one person. A unified, consistent image of your church across the Internet is one of the best ways these days to reach out to the world.