The Coach’s Suggested Action List for Using Social Media for End-of-Year Giving

As you work to build out your end-of-year message, don’t forget to build a social media strategy. Here are my recommendations on how to use social media.

Avoid these Common Mistakes Churches Make on Social Media

1. Not utilizing it at all. If you want to reach your neighborhood, you will find them on social media.
2. Setting it up and then leaving it. Posts that are weeks or months old show a lack of interest.
3. Making it all about the church. Don’t use social media to replace your newsletter or bulletin.
4. Lack of strategy. Don’t just show up on social media. Have a strategy. What is your goal?
5. Lacking a plan to implement the strategy. Without a plan, you are really planning to fail.

Key Pointers for Social Media Success – Here are some key pointers that will help you make your sites more effective.

• Set it up! Use multiple social media platforms to get your message out. Multichannel is the new normal! Find out what platforms are used most predominantly by your members and guests. Don’t try to be everywhere, be where your community is.
• Message it out! What are you attempting to communicate? Stay on point! Don’t dilute your message.
• Plan it out! What are you trying to accomplish with each of your social media platforms? Write it down and work it! Link your social media posts with the calendar and flow of your church. Be creative!
• Determine the right number of posts. While never posting anything is wrong, so is continually posting stuff to the point that it is annoying. At a minimum, consider a daily post.
• Drive people to your platform. Then make your social media sites worth visiting! Make sure that in all your communications, you provide easy links to your social media sites.
• Engage with people. Social media strategies are different from web page strategies.
• Show and tell! Social media lets you show missions and ministry in action. Post lots of pictures! Make sure you have proper clearance for all persons used in your posts.
• Who owns it? Make sure someone owns the plan. The best-laid plans are worthless unless someone owns them.
• Review it! Assess what works and what doesn’t. Good social media strategies are works in progress.
• Make the ask! Show life change and periodically invite them to support that with a generous gift by providing a URL link to your giving page.