5 Tips to Grow Your Church Through Facebook

5 Tips to Grow Your Church Through Facebook

Are you using social media to grow your church?

About two years ago Community Bible Church, San Antonio, TX, started the Online Church Facebook page with little direction or strategy. Despite their lack of a plan, and through a constant state of experimentation, the page has grown to more than 320,000 “Likes”, representing 150 countries. In the process we’ve made many mistakes, but have also found some keys to success in using Facebook to connect with people.

Here are a few tips that will help your church maximize Facebook to engage a wider audience than you ever dreamed possible:

1. Be Consistent. The biggest mistake that churches make is creating a page and rarely posting to it. Set a schedule and stick to it, I recommend posting at least once a day.

2. Inspire your Audience. Inspiring your congregation doesn’t have to just happen in your church building. It can happen online as well!

3. Ask Questions. Remember that social media is social and asking questions is the best way to start a conversation.

4. Tell Stories. There’s nothing more powerful than sharing a story of how God has moved in the life of someone in your congregation or sharing a highlight from a recent event in your church.

5. Share Information. While this is last on the list, it’s still important to let your congregation know what’s going on. This is often the only content that churches post and causes their pages to be irrelevant and ignored.

yours in services

MARK idiahi

SOCIAL MEDIA AND CHURCH GROWTH!

Church Growth Through Social Media

Researching information church growth, if adequately researched you have quickly realized the strength that lies within social media. With the completion of your research you should have determined social media as venues that produce high amounts of regular traffic.  With the implementation of these FREE platforms you will begin to generate both traffic and exposure.  The major free sites to utilize to gain full advantage of social media would be:

 - Blog/website ~ every business needs to have a central point of contact, somewhere all correspondence initiates from. Through sharing your content and drawing your audience to what you have to offer will have your contact looking for your content on a regular basis. Correctly setting up your blog will allow you to share your content automatically to several social media sites at one time by simply pushing “publish”. Harvest the power of automation through syndication.

  - Facebook ~

 with the massive influx of people on Facebook it is prime territory to reach a very large number of people, by simply sharing your content, videos, motivational thoughts, etc. you will begin to create a strong on-line presence

  -  YouTube ~ video marketing and sharing has become a main source of traffic to sites. While using YouTube, it would be advisable to create your own channel which allows for some customization, but mainly, it keeps your visitors viewing your videos only until they choose to leave. (If you don’t create your own channel, once your video is finished, several other videos within the same niche will automatically pop-up, resulting in you possibly losing some of your traffic.)

    Google ~ if you are serious about marketing your church and growing it through social media, Google is the number one search engine on the internet, you definitely want to create a presence there. Google is definitely a place you want to be sharing your content. By doing your research and having your content on page one of Google, will drive a tremendous amount of visitors to your blog/website.

Church Growth Marketing

 

So once you’ve gotten all your strategies firmly in place, you must begin a consistent marketing plan for your church. Regularly post to your blog and share through all the social media outlets. By utilizing social media to create massive leads you will begin to realize church growth and an increase in your membership. Utilizing all of the free components listed above, you will begin seeing results, generating traffic and sharing your vision throughout the world.

No Limits On Church Growth

While you’re on a mission of increasing the numbers within your membership and realize church growth, don’t put limits or pre-judge anyone.  Share what you have regularly with thousands on a daily basis.  In order for there to be an adequate amount of church growth, you will need to step outside of the traditional methods of advertising and leverage the power of the internet.  Realize one important thing, a member doesn’t necessarily have to enter the “church building” to be an active member with the power of live streaming and the internet. 

Expand your church growth by enlarging your territories within social media.

SOCIAL MEDIA:TIPS FOR CHURCH GROWTH

12 Social Media:Tips for Church Leaders

 I’ve seen many church leaders use social media really well. However some pastors  haven’t understood what social media really is and how to get maximum leverage from it.

Social media is a wonderful opportunity for church leaders, para-church leaders to build a platform of social influence that can extend well beyond the four walls of a Sunday experience. For example, it’s an opportunity for your congregations to see what you do beyond Sundays during the week. It is also a savvy way for your church to move beyond the corporate church Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts and put a human and personal touch to everything that is social about the mission and vision of your church. This is an exciting opportunity not just for your senior leader but your whole church staff in personalising your church’s social media influence.

If you are a church communications pro please pass these tips onto your church staff and leaders. Social media is simply the best way to extend and amplify your church’s voice.

Here are a few tips for church staff and leaders I’ve learnt along the way which I’d love to pass onto you. Again,stay in touch!

1. It’s all not about you.

Social media is a social communication channel. It is your opportunity to be the real you, but you have to realize that it isn’t all about you. Help others. Serve others. Reach out to others.

Whatever your favorite social media channel is, whether it is Facebook, Twitter or Instagram amongst others, follow people who you know back. Following people back on social channels such as Twitter and Instagram actually shows that you are interested in what they have to say. Social media is like a party where there are circles of conversations going on, imagine if someone ignored you in your party circles?

I’ve seen plenty of church leaders who hardly follow anyone back and they especially need to get this principle. Social media is a conversation, not a broadcast.

2. Be social. Engage. Don’t just broadcast.

I know, I know, your time is important to you. You are an important and busy person. If you are on social and you have to realise that social media isn’t just another broadcast communications channel for what you want. It’s a conversation about what’s possible. Influence is far more powerful and effective than instruction. Social media is the digital campfire of today. Who are you talking to?

I remember when I started blogging and all I would do is broadcast my posts. I thought that I had a reasonable frequency in my posts but I soon got feedback that I was spamming people. Gulp. Sorry!

I remember when Rick Warren actually responded to something I said (Yes it was really him). I mattered to someone so amazing and so global. People love to feel special. We all hope that what we say has value and can make a difference.

3. Highlight and celebrate the things that really matter to your community.

Celebrate people who do great things or are causes/issues that you care about. It shows the real you and where your passions are. People love knowing what you care about outside of the one hour every Sunday. It helps people connect into who you are and what you are passionate about.

4. Be devoted.

No I’m not asking you to marry social media, just be there. Be devoted to your social channel. There is nothing worse than seeing a leader who is only there when they want to say something that is important to them. Be all there when on a regular basis. Schedule it until it feels natural.

5. Be sustainable.

One of the most common complaints is that ‘I don’t have the time’. But every leader I know wants the platform. If you want to build your platform then you have to make the time. For you that might be 15 minutes a day or hours, whatever you can sustain without impacting negativity on your focus at home or at church.

6. Be real/transparent.

Tell us how you are doing. People love honesty and transparency. It helps build a picture and build an affinity with the real you. We all love emotional depth and honesty. I’m not just talking about your feelings, it could be your family experiences, sports team, hobby, book you are reading, or things that are shaping you at the moment.  These can really build trust and relationship.

7. Don’t outsource your profile.

This is one that really gets my goat. Maybe when you are getting started and learning the ropes its okay to get initial help and input from your staff. But social is meant to be an informal channel to those who are really interested in you. Once you learn the ropes, take the training wheels off and go solo!

8. Ignore the trolls.

Not everyone is going to love what you do or say. The social media space is a competition of ideals and worldview. Everyone is going to let you know what they really think. Some do it gracefully, some don’t. Trolls are an unfortunate part of the social world. Ignore them, block them or report them if they go outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

9. Social isn’t a promotional tool.

Don’t just tell us what your latest album, message, seminar, service is all about. Talk to your followers, share with them. Interact with your followers on a human level.

10. Think glocally.

Your followers can come from anywhere and everywhere in the world. Most of my online followers are the from North America. Love you all! It won’t just be people who are in your local area. I’m always surprised and intrigued by how people find out about me, it will be exactly the same for you too!

11. Identify your tribe and love them.

You will have those that just follow you and those who are your ‘greatest fans’ (no stalkers allowed  ). The ones that interact and engage with you the most. These followers are your cheer squad or tribe. Whatever funky term you want to use. They are your most loyal, passionate people who really care about what you think and say. Identify them because they can help spread your message further and faster.

12. Take photos.

A picture can say a thousand words. Instagram is a great way to visualize what you are doing right now and its very quick for the pastor or leader. If you travel a lot it helps people visually comprehend what you are on about.

It social it should be interactive!!!
 cheers!!

CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS: LEVERAGING ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GROWTH

Dear Pastor Sir,

APPLICATION ENDORSEMENT:-

A ONE DAY IT TRAINING SEMINAR

We are delighted to introduce JUNINETIN INNOVATION,

 INTERNET MARKETING CONSULTANCY COMPANY;We Offer cutting edge online marketing strategies and training for churches,companies etc.

We are particularly keen about offering our services to faith based organization,it is sad to note that not too many churches are harnessing the immerse opportunities inherent in social media towards church growth,This tools have been technically left to the ungodly men of this world and they are using it in raising men after them,Lady gaga for instance have over forty thousands followers in her twitter handle.

The few churches that have tap into the huge potential in social media are witnessing geometric growth in their evangelical drive!

Staggering facts:



It not enough to have a website,does your website drive traffic to your church?

How about Facebook fan page,facebook have over five billion users!
The future of any worth while venture is internet,Rev Sam Adeyeme for instance mentors more people online through social media through daily interaction than He do off line.

METHODOLGY

In the next 2 years most people that will come to your church will have already look up on your church activities online.
-It possible to have someone else disciple your members after them through consistence communication on social media,suffice to say sundays service and mid week services are not enough to keep your members engage,We will teach your IT staffs on how to do this.
-We obviously believed it time faith based organizations leverage on the inherent potential in social media. 
-lady gaga have over 50 million people following her on facebook
-There is a paradigm shift !  

The future of any worth while venture is internet,we shall engage your IT staffs in an intense pragmatic training to reposition your evangelical drive online for aggressive growth.

AREA OF FOCUS:

-Facebook fanpage
-your twitter handle
-SEO optimization
-personal customize blog
-How use social to major outreaches
-in-reach
and host of others.   

We look forward to be of service to you!

Mark Idiahi 
07030227566