The Social Media Audit
We recently talked about the importance of the church website in an article on Church Encourager called “The Website Audit”. The website is usually one of the first things that I look at when I begin a church consultation. The next thing I do is check out the church’s social media. At the time of this article, the three main players are still Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Currently, an active Facebook Page is a must for churches. The members of your church are on Facebook and so are most of your potential visitors. Facebook is a go to for people when they have a few extra minutes. It is used as an escape or a diversion throughout the day and many people return to Facebook multiple times each day. Your church needs to have a presence in this space. One of the good things about Facebook is that is quite simple to use and to update. It is much easier than a website to keep current. If your church has a website page that is not that great, one of the things I suggest is to put a big link button on the website to encourage people to go to the Facebook page until the website can be improved. That being said, you need to make sure that your Facebook page is current, and that fresh content is being added regularly. By regularly I mean once a week at a minimum, but every day is better. There are some great inexpensive options that will automatically add content to your Facebook every day. Our church uses a program that costs 19.00 a month and posts on our page every day. We then have assigned a few Page administrators who can add photos and information about events or prayer requests, etc. You also need to respond to people who comment or send messages. Social media is about interaction and feedback is important.
Instagram is generally more popular among young adults, although this is also pretty fluid. It is possible to link your Facebook account to your Instagram account which will allow your activity on Facebook to pass into your Instagram account which is helpful in keeping both accounts flush with activity.
Twitter is another great tool. It can also be linked into your Facebook account. Remember on Twitter you want to keep your entries short and to the point.
One last but very important thing about your Social Media presence Is to remember that everything is PUBLIC. Think about what you are posting for the world to see is basically forever. Don’t respond hastily if you haven’t had a chance to pray through a situation. Keep your posts positive and encouraging and kind. In the next article we will discuss Search Engine presence.
Steve Lawes is a Certified Church Consultant and a Church Encourager.
