So You Think You’re Cut Out To Do Social Media for Your Church?

If You Think You’re Cut Out To Do Social Media for Your Church, You Had Better Read This First.

Social Media is a form of communication that is here to stay, at least for now in the manner that we have grown to understand it. Not to be mistaken as a marketing plan, social media is not a marketing plan but should be a vital part of your overall church marketing strategy. Churches should never place the responsibility of forming marketing messages, creating content, developing social posts and responding on behalf of the church in the hands of untrained volunteers. Please note, I did not say volunteers don’t make great Social Media Managers, I’m merely suggesting that the weight and responsibilities of this job description in the church should be marketed as such “a job”

What Are The Requirements?

1. Creativity | Tons of it! A church social media manager has to be able to pitch and implement an endless supply of new and exciting ideas that are relevant to the church’s vision and mission. They must be willing to operate using their spiritual gifts while embracing new methodologies to encourage a sense of community amongst the members.
2. Discernment | The ability to perceive moods, reactions, and responses before they occur. This is really a valuable and powerful gift to have as a church social media manager. Who couldn’t use a Rhema Word ? Knowing what to say and when to say it makes your role priceless.
3. A Knack for Creating Great Designs on the Fly | Social Media Managers aren’t Graphic Designers but the ability to create and design simple graphics on the fly is a must. Attention Grabbing Graphics, Legible Fonts, Complementary Colors Schemes all help to expose your church’s message online.
4. A Way With Words | For church marketing teams, this means more than just having the gift of gab, it entails being able to creatively express, entertain, explain & encourage all demographics of audiences. The churched as well as the unchurched.
5. Commitment | This job isn’t for the hobbyist or the faint at heart. It’s extremely difficult to serve on your church’s social media team and remain faithful to other ministries you might be involved in. As you might imagine, the lifeline of effective social media is nourished by the experiences that are captured within the church then retold online to extend the reach of the initial audience.
6. Autodidact | Self-Education is key. Chances are what you learned in college won’t help you today. In fact, a course you may have taken just 7 months ago is probably becoming outdated. The rules to marketing online are constantly changing and there’s a new social network popping up every three to six months. It’s imperative that you make it your duty to stay knowledgable and up to speed on current trends, platforms, & softwares relevant to church growth.
7. Detail Oriented | Organization is subjective among many creatives. We all differ in what methods, and or systems we use to get the job done but at the end of the day we all must agree that when it comes to communicating on behalf of the lord, we have to stay fresh, open, and obedient to what God wants for us to say, create, and share.

These are just a few of the tasks and skill sets needed to serve effectively on your church’s social media team. Prayerfully your church is taking proactive steps to properly train and equip volunteers and staff to manage and maintain the church’s voice online.