Sure.
If, of course, you have the time, resources, and content. Only then should Facebook (or Twitter) be part of your church marketing strategy.
Let me explain.
Many churches, small businesses, non-profits, etc. find themselves saying: “We need to be on Facebook!”
Why?
“It’s the way people are communicating these days. And all the other churches are doing it.”
True. But if you’re a church that doesn’t have the staff resources and the time to maintain an effective Facebook presence, why do it?
For a church, I would argue that you need to post something every single day — at a minimum. This keeps your online “voice” active and engaging. You need to be able to post photos, link to videos, write thought-provoking copy that drives people to your website to learn more, answer comments, create events, etc.
When someone “likes” your Facebook page, there’s an expectation of regular engagement. Immediacy. On Facebook (or Twitter) there’s something frustrating about a page that only engages in sporadic spurts. If you “like” a church page and then see that no one has posted there for two weeks, you realize that this is not the place to go for regular updates. Frankly, it’s irrelevant.
So, if you can’t meet that expectation, then I would scrap the Facebook idea for now and focus your church marketing strategies more on the face-to-face. The relational.
Take the time you planned to devote to Facebook and:
- Call a recent visitor
- Write a thank you note to a church volunteer
- Visit a church member in the hospital
- Take the children’s minister out for a cup of coffee
- Grab the prayer list and pray
It’s okay to engage in all of the latest fads and technologies, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. In the end, I would argue that church growth and church outreach centers more on one-on-one relationships instead of virtual engagement.
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Learn more about the Hands and Feet Marketing approach to church outreach.