1 out of 7 people on earth are on Facebook. Social media (mainly Facebook, Twitter & YouTube) could be one of the most underused evangelism, outreach & ministry tools a church has. Most people are likely to connect and look at your church's Facebook page than the church's website.
Social media is here to stay and churches must utilize it for ministry. Here are 5 tips to create and maintain a good church Facebook page:
1). Pictures sell. Nothing will draw more people to your church Facebook page than pictures. People love to see close-up funny pictures. Don't post 50 pictures and half of them being the parking lot, the pulpit or stained glass windows. People want to see other people.
I have a camera I bring to special events - VBS, musicals, and dinners to take pictures. Don't take pictures of people on a regular Sunday sitting in a pew or a classroom during Sunday School. Cameras do need to be ready for the women's conference, youth lock-in, and Upward basketball. Do not use the camera on your phone, you need a real camera you use for church events.
Post your pictures the same day. Last week's pictures are so last week - we've moved on and so has everyone's interest.
2). Update your page regularly. There are two extremes in social media - the spammer who makes 5 posts a day and the dinosaur, who's last update was the Fall Festival in October. A church should post 3-4 times per week. Remind everyone of upcoming events (use logos) and brag about past events (post pictures), and share resources (use links to helpful sites and YouTube videos).
When I created First Baptist Moreland's church Facebook page (view it here) - there were 4 other unofficial pages. After I created the official page, I merged the duplicate pages. When people type in the name of your church, one main page should come up. Eliminate unnecessary lists, groups and pages. First Baptist Moreland has 4 official pages, and each page has "liked" the others for convenience to find.
3). Check-ins are your best friend. I love check-ins. We should make it a rule, everyone with a smartphone must check-in when coming to church. Here's why: a check-in is an indirect way of letting all your friends know you're at church. After pictures, this is your best tool for promoting your page.
4). Use a professional profile and cover picture. I bought our church Facebook cover picture for $5 on www.fiverr.com. You don't want to look amateurish, and a professional photoshop logo, profile picture, and cover picture, all for $5, will prevent this.
5). Respond to comments and questions. Social media is a conversation. It's embarrassing when I see a church Facebook page and someone asks when VBS begins and no one answers! You need to respond within 12 hours max to questions and comments.
If you don't respond to comments, people will quit listening and talking to you.
Summary - Promote upcoming events (use logos), brag about past events (use pictures) and encourage everyone to check-in when they come to church.
Resources
Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
Platform by Michael Hyatt
Social media is here to stay and churches must utilize it for ministry. Here are 5 tips to create and maintain a good church Facebook page:
1). Pictures sell. Nothing will draw more people to your church Facebook page than pictures. People love to see close-up funny pictures. Don't post 50 pictures and half of them being the parking lot, the pulpit or stained glass windows. People want to see other people.
I have a camera I bring to special events - VBS, musicals, and dinners to take pictures. Don't take pictures of people on a regular Sunday sitting in a pew or a classroom during Sunday School. Cameras do need to be ready for the women's conference, youth lock-in, and Upward basketball. Do not use the camera on your phone, you need a real camera you use for church events.
Post your pictures the same day. Last week's pictures are so last week - we've moved on and so has everyone's interest.
2). Update your page regularly. There are two extremes in social media - the spammer who makes 5 posts a day and the dinosaur, who's last update was the Fall Festival in October. A church should post 3-4 times per week. Remind everyone of upcoming events (use logos) and brag about past events (post pictures), and share resources (use links to helpful sites and YouTube videos).
When I created First Baptist Moreland's church Facebook page (view it here) - there were 4 other unofficial pages. After I created the official page, I merged the duplicate pages. When people type in the name of your church, one main page should come up. Eliminate unnecessary lists, groups and pages. First Baptist Moreland has 4 official pages, and each page has "liked" the others for convenience to find.
3). Check-ins are your best friend. I love check-ins. We should make it a rule, everyone with a smartphone must check-in when coming to church. Here's why: a check-in is an indirect way of letting all your friends know you're at church. After pictures, this is your best tool for promoting your page.
4). Use a professional profile and cover picture. I bought our church Facebook cover picture for $5 on www.fiverr.com. You don't want to look amateurish, and a professional photoshop logo, profile picture, and cover picture, all for $5, will prevent this.
5). Respond to comments and questions. Social media is a conversation. It's embarrassing when I see a church Facebook page and someone asks when VBS begins and no one answers! You need to respond within 12 hours max to questions and comments.
If you don't respond to comments, people will quit listening and talking to you.
Summary - Promote upcoming events (use logos), brag about past events (use pictures) and encourage everyone to check-in when they come to church.
Resources
Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
Platform by Michael Hyatt
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