Social Media has now become a tool that allows churches and ministries to reach a global audience. Social Media does not replace a traditional church service or replace church but social media is a place where we can keep the conversation going after church service is over. Let’s face it Facebook has more than 1 billion users and Instagram has over 100 million users and Twitter has over 68 million users, those platforms have access to people that your ministry can reach if you are willing to use these platforms as a method of outreach.
Reason #1 Keeps The Conversation Going After Sunday Service
Social Media is not just the place for you to connect with new followers but it’s also a place where you stay connected with the people in your congregation. I’m willing to guess that at least 70% of your congregation is on at least one of the social media platforms out there. Why is important to stay connected with them? Well for one ministry isn’t just on Sundays. Your congregation is filled with real people who go through real life issues on a daily basis. They need to be uplifted, inspired, and reminded constantly of God’s Word. You don’t want for your congregation to hear your sermon on Sunday and by Tuesday the message is a faded memory. Instead utilize platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep the conversation going. Ask them questions about the message, post bible verses from the message, or post clips of your sermons; all of this keeps the conversation going and allows you to continue to interact with your church members.
Reason #2 You Have An Opportunity to Reach The Masses
All of the social media platforms combined has billions of users that’s more people than you have access to reaching locally. Will you reach billions? Probably not but there’s still a great chance that you can reach people who live in other cities, states, and other countries. Social media is not just a place for Christians but it’s also a place where non-believers also hang out. I have seen quite a few people come to Christ because of something they heard or saw on Facebook. Your ministry can now reach people who may never step foot in your church.
Reason #3 Giving/Donations
Tithing and sowing monetary gifts can often be a controversial topic in the faith community but most churches are dependent on these donations to secure the financial health of their ministry. With a platform like Facebook you can ask your followers to sow into your ministry. Let’s say your church live streams on Sundays, your media team can have it set up on the screen so the online viewers know how to sow into your ministry. FYI- Getting people to sow into your ministry online does have a few challenges, one being if people don’t know you or your ministry you can’t expect them to sow after watching your live stream a few times. People buy into people they know and trust. So you may have to do some relationship building before hand.
Reason #4 Cheapest Way To Advertise
We know that just about every church needs some type of marketing and advertising. Spending money on direct mail and billboards can become pricey platforms like Facebook and Twitter make it easy to advertise and the costs are much lower. You can do a variety of campaigns on these platforms for pennies on the dollar. You can’t walk into an advertising agency with $50 or less and expect them to place ads for you but you can do this on Facebook and reach thousands of people who would be interested in your church and ministry.
Quonda Renee is a Digital Marketing Expert who specializes in Facebook. She has over 10 years marketing experience. She has helped many ministries and churches grow their presence on Facebook. She has created a platform on Facebook with over 2 million followers that she uses to help ministries get more exposure