In this week’s Church Social Media chat #ChSocM, moderator Regina Heater (@reckshow) asked:
What’s the best #chsocm tip you learned in 2013?
Here are 13 of the top tips shared by chat participants.
- To steal from Nike — Just Do It. Social media needs creative experimentation. @ohxjulie
- Don’t just broadcast. Whatever you do. ENGAGE! @Stevefogg
- Make all posts pinnable (use an image in every post, even if it’s just the title of the post.) @reckshow
- Tag people in Facebook photos. The number of views goes waaay up. @LeistCatalano
- Try to find a balance between content and relationships @WillPlatnick
- Make sure your message and image is consistent across *all* platforms plus your website. @MeredithGould
- Just post worthwhile & meaningful stuff. People respond. @eric_clapp
- Be willing to try something that doesn’t work. Ditch it, then try something else. Be fearless and creative @MeredithGould
- Be relevant and understand your audience. @DiopaYouth
- Work with just a few platforms that make sense for ur church, don’t try to manage too many. @MicheleLKoch
- Don’t just wing it, develop a strategy & work the strategy. @PaulSteinbrueck
- More video. Using “sermon extras” where teaching pastors adds the 4th point & post mid-week to reinforce big idea @JoelNatalie
- Participate in these tweet chats! 🙂 @SaraVanderpan
You can read the full transcript of this week’s chat here. If you want to help your church get better at using social media, I invite you to join our weekly #ChSocM twitter chats Tuesdays at 9 PM ET.
Which of the tips above resonate with you most and why? What’s your top church social media tip for 2013?
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
4 Comments
I wonder if I would get the guts to tag people on Facebook in photos, I would get more "likes," comments and shares on important items, such as my two blogs and my autism petition. I don't tag because people have said they don't want to be tagged.
I wouldn't tag people who specifically asked not to be tagged, but I would expect that to be the exception rather than the rule.
A year ago, when I was feeling ignored, I tagged some people. One made it clear that he did not want to be tagged. I don't tag people, but if someone welcomes it will tag them.
I never tag children in photos, but since people can manage tagging in their privacy settings, unless I've heard otherwise, I assume that adults can be tagged and will have set up their own controls. Tagging photos increases the engagement on our church page dramatically, and can be a great conversation-starter.