No matter the size or location of your church, social media marketing is a valuable way to be on mission together, reach the lost and connect with your congregation. Social media is its own mission field. Churches increasingly recognize a need to tap into this marketing tool to broaden their reach and actively engage their members. 

With every new platform and technological update available, it can easily feel overwhelming to develop and implement a social media strategy for your ministry. It can be especially challenging with limited staff or volunteers. 

To help steward your time and resources, here are a few essentials to social media marketing.

• Actively engage with your audience and community on a regular basis.
  For a social media account to be classified as “active,” try posting an average of three to seven times each week. Use this as an opportunity to spotlight what God is doing in and through your church and community. Share how your church is on mission together by posting photos of baptisms, mission trips and fellowship meals. Leverage social media to celebrate how the gospel is transforming lives in your community.

If your church live streams services, respond to comments in live feeds. On mission with another local church, organization or individual? Don’t forget to tag them in your posts.

• Utilize free or low-cost online tools to boost engagement and reach.
  Consistency is key. In addition to time-sensitive announcements and information, schedule regular posts throughout the week. These include daily prayer prompts or a daily verse. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feature free built-in scheduling tools. In addition, websites like Hootsuite allow you to schedule and cross-post to multiple channels, saving you time and energy. 

Canva is a site that offers free design templates to help anyone produce quality designs for social media graphics, flyers and slides. Unsplash offers numerous high-quality photos you can download for free to use in posts. 

• Include a clear call to action.
  Where should your posts point people? Include in your caption a prompt to “pray for,” “visit this link” or “give online.” Utilize websites like Bit.ly to shorten links in your captions and Later to add a “link in bio” option to your Instagram profile.

• Form a social media marketing strategy and team.
  If your church doesn’t have someone on staff that handles your social media accounts, consider gathering two to three volunteers to act as administrators on your accounts. A college student may be willing and interested in serving in this capacity to gain experience. Implementing a strategy is key. Plan ahead to ensure that you consistently connect and tell your story. 

Interested in learning more? N.C. Baptist staff are here to assist you with further marketing and communication tools and resources. Check out the Communications Toolkit for additional tools. Consider attending our upcoming Church Communications Training via Zoom Oct. 19, as well as the “Social Media Marketing: Building with the Basics” breakout session at this year’s annual meeting Nov. 7-8 in Greensboro.