Grace Chapel's Social Media Strategy - UPDATED

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2017 SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

WHY SOCIAL MATTERS TO GRACE CHAPEL #1: WE  PEOPLE. It’s where people are; we’re going to them – especially new people. People’s feeds are filled with voices, and ours should be one of them. #2: IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT US! Social reiterates our mission, reinforces our brand, and reflects our culture. Who we are on social media is who we are as a church!

SOCIAL MEDIA CONTROLS THE NARRATIVE OF OUR IDENTITY. IT PROVES OUR PURPOSE, IT EMPHASIZES OUR BRAND, AND IT REVEALS OUR CULTURE.

ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY Purpose

Brand

Culture

Our mission; it’s why we exist.

What sets us apart.

What our people say and do. *Source: Gallup

OUR SOCIAL STRATEGY ISN’T ABOUT MARKETING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

MKTG

7%

0.5%



This isn’t a Social Media Marketing Strategy. It’s not our primary goal to market ministry events and activities.

If you promote a ministry event on Facebook, there’s less than a 7% chance the people you’re targeting will actually see that post.

People have about 200 slots in their news feed per day. If we get one, we should add value in that moment, not make a pitch.

Social is all about engaging people, and making everyone feel more connected to our church when they’re not at church.

“ Our goal with social media is to turn people into

advocates for the mission of their church by giving them content that’s engaging and share-worthy.

It’s all about engagement.

”

WHAT PLATFORMS ARE WE ON? Facebook Twitter Instagram Google + YouTube Vimeo

FACEBOOK One page for our entire church: www.facebook.com/gracechapelnewengland Campuses have their own pages (they manage) Weekly engagement: 800-1100 people Weekly reach: 8,000-14,000 people 3500+ likes (people who’ve liked our page) 70% of our fans are women. More under 35 than over 55.

FACEBOOK: A DAILY HABIT FOR MOST ADULTS 52% of all adults use Facebook daily 60% of adults who go online use Facebook daily

of Facebook users check it out daily – with an average usage time of 50 minutes!

TWITTER @gracechapel 1200+ impressions/week Followers: 750+ It’s a conversation, and we’re the quite ones in back with our minds wandering while everyone else is talking about stuff.

INSTAGRAM @wearegrace Weekly engagement: 25-30 people (occasional spikes over 100) Followers: 500+ Visual content (duh). Younger audience. Informal, personal, we can be a little riskier than with other channels. Best content: people pics.

THE SOCIAL FLYWHEEL

Impressions

Attention

Targeting: I’m creating content with a specific audience in mind

Design of content is visually appealing: I notice it

Active Attention

Action

Content is engaging: I’ll read it, like it, share it

This brand is worth connecting with online or IRL

OR… THINK OF IT AS THE SOCIAL FUNNEL IMPRESSIONS Targeting: determine content with specific audience in mind. It’s for me! ATTENTION Design: content visually appealing. I notice it! ACTIVE ATTENTION Quality: content is engaging. I’ll like it, comment, share it ACTION Brand: I’ll engage with them online or IRL

RETENTION = ATTENTION

WEEKLY SOCIAL: TYPICAL FRAMEWORK “Missed it?” Mondays • Sermon quote • Sermon highlight clip • Ministry Moment

Team Tuesdays • Ministry in action • Join the team • Volunteer/staff profiles

Word Wednesdays • Scripture verse • Quote

Throwback Thursdays • Things to celebrate • Retro fun

#ForYou Fridays • Highlight ministry that’s for the community • Local community shout out • Community connection

See you tomorrow Saturdays • Sermon/service preview • Reminders • Bring a friend!

1. Social media is like a telephone, not a megaphone. Churches need to treat it like a conversation, not a replacement for TV. 2. Social doesn’t create new ideas, it extends existing ideas. It reveals who your church is and what you think is important. 3. Our target audience on social can’t be everyone because then we’re relevant to no one. Each platform needs a persona: 1. Instagram: informal, personal, visual 2. Twitter: professional types/thinkers 3. Facebook: TBD

CRITICAL TAKEAWAYS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA

TYPES OF CONTENT Culture-making Silly music video, encouragement, prayer, etc. Must be outsider-friendly and show the world we’re not an institution, we’re people.

Teaching

Sermon quote, sermon clip, scripture, event clip/quote, blog post, etc.

Promotion

We’re asking people to come to something, sign up, volunteer, give, etc.

Connection

Ex.: person checks in to Grace Chapel on Facebook; we comment “glad you’re here!”

CREATING CULTURE WITH CONTENT

TEACHING CONTENT

PROMO CONTENT

Who determines what gets onto our social media channels? Since September, our Communications WIG team has been planning and managing what we share on our social media channels. We have been following the strategy outlined in this document, but it’s not easy! Creating, planning, and sharing good content takes time.

COMM WIGS TEAM MEETS 2X/WEEK TO WORK ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. WANT TO JOIN US?

FAQ’S Can I set up my own social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) for my ministry? It depends. First, answer these questions: 1. HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU RESPOND TO INQUIRIES/COMMENTS? 2. HOW FREQUENTLY WILL YOU POST EACH OF THE FOUR TYPES OF CONTENT? 3. WHERE DOES SOCIAL FIT INTO YOUR REGULAR INTRA-MINISTRY COMMUNICATIONS?

FAQ’S (CONT’D) What about the campus-specific Facebook pages? Last year we re-centralized our Facebook presence into a single page by taking the Lexington campus page (our original page) and renaming it “Grace Chapel New England.” We share content for the whole church there. The Campus Pastors elected to take over managing their own Facebook pages.

FAQ’S (CONT’D) Do all channels get the same content? Definitely not! Many people follow us on all of our channels, and content redundancy is an engagement killer. While we will post major things across all channels, we try to avoid duplication wherever possible. (This is part of the reason we reduced how much we post to the campus Facebook pages.)

FAQ’S (CONT’D) Why isn’t Jared promoting my super-important ministry event on Facebook?? 1. One word: ENGAGEMENT. People don’t engage with advertising, they tolerate it. If we overdo promo/ads on our social, we reinforce our brand as “that big church that offers lots of programs for its members.” 2. We’ve already shared it, and don’t want to be redundant. Instead of us sharing it again, get your volunteers to share the original post! 3. Your promotional content probably isn’t engaging, either visually or copy-wise. We strive to make every post share-worthy.

FAQ’S (CONT’D) Can a social post be both engaging and promotional? Yes! This is called content marketing, and it works. For example, Ruthie wrote a blog post for parents wondering about how to keep their kids engaged in church, and the right time to let them take communion. In that post, she linked to her upcoming class on this topic. Another example: the Summit videos that inspire people to lead where they are.

FAQ’S (CONT’D) I wrote some copy to use on social media. Do I need a graphic too? YES. Even on Twitter? If you want people to engage with your tweet, then yes. How do I make a graphic? Your phone has a camera! Also, try Canva.

FAQ’S (CONT’D) What about social media advertising? Like boosted posts, ads, etc. We’ve show social media advertising to be a cost-effective way of reaching people. It’s excellent for targeting specific audiences based on geography, age, etc. If you have a little budget, come talk to me about it next time you want to promote your ministry or event outside the church.

PARTING THOUGHT On Sundays, people take some downtime, because they need replenishment. They enjoy recreation because it’s energizing. They nurture their kids alongside other families. And they do it all outside of church. We’re competing with the couch, the beach, the ballfield… all the things people can do besides coming to church.