We push social media a lot at our church.  I’ve noticed that our strategy has begun to develop into a pretty fine art that I thought I’d share with you.  Before becoming pastor at Highland Park, I was on staff with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention where one of my responsibilities was serving as social media strategist.  I hope this post helps your church to more effectively engage people so you can fulfill your mission.

Here are some things you should note about developing a social media strategy for your church: It is important, pick which social networks you’ll use, post clearly and often (but not too often), and reply to people.

It is Important

• 56% of Americans have a profile on a social networking site.
• 55% of Americans 45-54 have a profile on a social networking site.
• 22% of Americans use social networking sites several times per day.
• 47% of people say Facebook has the greatest impact on their purchase behavior.  Surely this also effects their church-choosing behavior, too.
• 23% of Facebook’s users check their account five or more times EVERY DAY.[i]
• 77% of buyers say they are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO uses social media.[ii]
• 82% of employees say they trust a company more when the CEO and leadership team communicate via social media.[iii]
• Facebook is the leading source of referred social media traffic to websites, at 26%.
• 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter, and 20% have closed deals.[iv]

Pick What Social Networks You’ll Use

There are a lot from which to pick.[v]  At Highland Park, we use twitter, facebook, and vimeo.

Post Clearly and Often

The key to posting information clearly and often is to use a scheduling strategy for posting information.  I use Hootsuite.  If someone were to just look at my usage of social networking, they’d think I was online way more than I actually am.  Every Monday, I schedule tweets and facebook posts for the church to release on different days at different times.  My goal is 3-5 posts per day for the church’s social networking pages.

Sometimes I post events the church is holding.  Other times I post Bible verses that pertain to what our church is studying.  I build excitement about our church’s vision and direction on the social networking sites, too.

As I finish my sermon preparation on Tuesdays, I use Hootsuite to schedule tweets Tuesday through Sunday that pertain to the topic or text I am preaching.  I simply copy/paste quotes from my sermon manuscript into Hootsuite and those quotes post at their scheduled times throughout the week.

For example, this Sunday I am preaching about generous giving.  On Tuesday, I scheduled a bunch of tweets with stats pertaining to giving, statements I’ll make in the upcoming Sunday morning message, and other various tidbits I think need to be shared.

Whenever you post information, don’t beat people down with the same announcements over and over ad infinitum.  52% of consumers say they have stopped following a brand because the information it posted had become “too repetitive and boring.”[vi]

Reply to People

I find it interesting that 95% of Facebook wall posts are not answered by brands.[vii]  If you put the effort into typing the post, you should put the effort into replying to people.  Not replying to a person on a social networking is the same thing as not replying to an email or a phone call.  You’re basically telling someone you don’t care about them when you don’t reply to them.

Well, those are my thoughts on how to develop a social media strategy for your church.  Have any additional thoughts?  Share in the comments!