Friday, Feb 4th and Saturday, Feb 5th, 2022, Best Skills Best Churches learned about Digital Marketing and Online Presence. Here are a few things to remember from these sessions:
Best Practices for Social Media Marketing:
Social Media Marketing can feel daunting at times, but once you get familiar and comfortable it can be a powerful tool to help spread your message. Remember, social media is a way to connect with parishioners and people outside of your church. Therefore, you should utilize digital storytelling to help connect with your audience. Some best skills to remember for social media are:
- Think theologically and socially
- “Like” or “Follow” other churches social media pages/profiles
- Create a social media strategy/calendar
- Think outside of Facebook (Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
- Set up standards for posting
- Be visual – more people are likely to stop scrolling to see your post
Free Graphic Design Programs
Canva – https://www.canva.com/
Unsplash – https://unsplash.com/ (free stock photos) - Use plural pronouns for church posts (“we” or “our”, not “I” or “me”)
- Schedule posts ahead of time
- Don’t post e-newsletters in whole (utilize links)
- Monitor social media posts and respond promptly
- Remind admins to “log out” every time they leave social media desktop programs
- Announce livestreams on Social Media ahead of event
Websites are crucial!
A church website is a gateway for new people who don’t know about your church. It is so important to have a clear, thoughtful, and well-organized website. The reasons for having a website are plenty:
- 17 million Americans who don’t regularly attend church visited a church website
- 60% of people prefer to give online or through cash apps
- 50% of people trust churches, companies, and organizations more when they prove to
- be transparent online
Some ways your organization can improve your church website through Best Skills:
- Put social media icons/links on church website, so you can connect your platforms
- Embed livestream recording on website and make it easy to find.
- Make easy navigational menus and keep your website pages well structured
- Add photos of your congregation. People connect more to a church when they see the people in it. Therefore, use congregation photos, rather than just stock photos or generic pictures of the building
The Future of Digital Evangelism:
Even when COVID is gone, live streaming and social media will still remain. Therefore, you should keep in mind that the digital world is constantly evolving and you can try new platforms and ways to reach people. Websites are virtual doors to churches and congregations. We also learned in Best Skills, Best Churches that Jesus does not have an online presence but yours. Websites are a fundamental building block of creating your digital presence.
Social Media is a powerful tool for connecting people. Facebook is number one, but other platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter are still valuable. Experiment with your social media to find what works best for your church’s needs.
Livestreaming video is just one step in reaching outside the church doors. Livestreaming also allows those who cannot physically attend to still be part of worship. This is so beneficial for both your congregation and those who are seeking a way to be connected to your church.
The Diocesan Office is here to help!
The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona is here to assist with any questions or needs. Our Communications and Events team can help with the following:
- Promote events through our Diocesan website
- Publish stories from congregations
- Help connect congregations and ministries to one another for support
- Website, social media, and tech consultations
If you have questions or need any help, contact Laurel Way, our Director of Communications at
laurel@azdiocese.org or 602-254-0976.