At my last church stop, I made a cardinal mistake.
My intentions were good. It was a small church with a good amount of older congregants, and did not even have a website. How could this be? In the 21st Century, no less? Eager to make a change, I took on the mantle of church techie and went to town.
Within weeks of starting, we had our newly minted web page, and a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouYube and even Foursquare (no one took us up on the self-funded offer of a free meal for checking in on Wednesday, but hey). I’d be lying if I say that I was not just a little proud of the “accomplishment.” I was especially happy to predict how well Twitter would do, and patted myself on the back (figuratively and literally) for my technological prowess.
Our Facebook page was a modest hit. YouTube was okay. Twitter and Foursquare were such bombs that the folks behind the masterpiece Gigli would probably point and laugh at us.
What did I do wrong?
I didn’t tailor our social media strategy to our unique church body.
I went for “the popular” over going for “the effective.” You can make the argument that adding social media channels is always a good idea, but in a small church with extremely limited resources, every lost second counts. The time spent grooming a Twitter page could probably have been better used engaging with people on Facebook.
To be honest, managing our social media networks couldn’t be called a chore. I loved updating our Twitter feed for all the 7 or 8 people that followed, even if most of them were denominational Conference folks. But I think I allowed my personal preference to guide me more than the realities of our specific situation.
In a nutshell, this is what I learned:
1) The need to feel relevant shouldn’t trump effectiveness. Just because Strategy A works for Church B doesn’t mean it will — or even should — work for Fellowship C. Different strokes work for different flocks.
2) Resource management is key… even with regards to targeted church networking. Whether your’s is a church that can afford a full fledged staff (I’m swooning with jealousy) or one with a stay-at-home mom or dad that volunteers to post pics of the church social on Facebook, there should be an idea of what is being used where.
3) Communication is (or should be) the ultimate goal. In the end, I think engagement is key. And this may not happen online for your congregation at this time. If it happens best over corporate Wednesday supper, then that’s probably where the bulk of efforts should be directed.
So there it is. My failings for your edification. And yes, I still visit my old church’s Twitter feed to reminisce.
Dave Shrein says
This is great perspective. Your three main points really can serve as a starting point for anyone looking to break into social media. We have been focusing on building up one network at a time. We’ve defined the theme of Facebook and Instagram. My next stop is twitter. I’m determined to also get something going for LinkedIn as our geographic location is filled with the professional.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Chandos says
Point 1 is the hardest one I’m learning right now. I’ve found over this past year that the more I try to mimic the style or feel of other successful media from other churches, the more it doesn’t fit or go well.