The Church and Social Media: What to Do (and Not Do)
Social networks for our Churches
Social networks have become an indispensable tool for faith communities around the world, as they allow us to reach further and share with more people.
Before thinking about the digital platforms for our Church, it is worth reflecting on the virtual space that we want to build, the objectives that we will have for this project and the characteristics that we would like our page to have. If possible, consult with members of the congregation about what type of information they would like to find on the page and in what format (text, video, image).
This type of project can help us involve the congregation in the work of the Church, therefore, if possible, we must designate a team that supports the necessary tasks to have updated, effective and constantly developing digital spaces.
It is very important that, in case we decide to take the step towards opening up social platforms, we have a firm commitment to keep the information updated and constantly publish material.
Where do we start?
All networks can be useful for our Church. The most used are YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. We cannot stop considering platforms like TikTok and Twitch . Our objectives and the ability to produce content will define which platforms we can use, Facebook and Instagram are good options to take our first steps.
When to publish content on Church networks?
One of the objectives of social networks is to reach as many people as possible, which is why when creating a space for our Churches we must think of strategies that allow us to capture attention and accumulate followers.
One of the strategies has to do with being in the right place at the right time, that is, publishing on the days and times when there are more possibilities of contact with the people who read us. If we review blogs and specialized pages, we will find widespread data indicating that the best time to publish is from Monday to Friday between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. However, once we open our spaces we will be able to analyze the personalized data of our platform and create strategies based on this information. In the case of Facebook and Instagram, you can use the free Creator Studio tool, which we can access from our Facebook profile.
Recommendations for the development of the social networks of a Church
For our social networks to grow we need two key elements: perseverance and patience. We must work daily to develop the proposal that we designed for the social networks of the Church and wait patiently towards the construction of a digital community.
Another aspect to consider is taking care of the image. If we publish photos with low resolution and without a particular idea, it will be difficult to grow. Check the recommended measures and resolutions for each of the social networks and create your content based on them.
Establish an editorial line and quality control for the content, this will allow the entire team involved to be in tune with the Church and that your publications have the necessary quality to build a good image around your community of faith.
If you have no idea how to start developing content, a useful tool for social media image design is Canva . There is a monthly subscription that, if your budget allows it, you can use to increase the available resources.
For churches looking to broadcast live, OBS Studio is a free tool worth learning how to use.
If all this seems overwhelming and you are just looking for a channel of information for your community of faith, you can open a WhatsApp group for the congregation with limited moderators. In this way, a closed group of people will be able to share announcements for members of the Church. By limiting the moderators you will be avoiding accumulating responses and messages, only the moderators will be able to publish.
Finally, never give up learning new things. New tools and strategies are constantly emerging that can help you meet the objectives you set for your Church's social networks. Stay up to date and share knowledge with your team and the community.
What should I not do on my church's networking page?
Neglecting your social networks, a profile without updating is terrible for your project and your community.
Leaving the weight of the project in one person. Put together a team in which all the people are trained to carry out the necessary actions to keep the Church's social networks active.
And lastly, stay away from “fake news”. Review your information and build an effective communication channel with trusted sources and security filters to avoid contributing to the terrible wave of misinformation we are currently facing.
