Are you struggling to save time and reach more people? Maybe your parish social media isn’t as engaging as you wish it could be. Representing Catholic churches both small and large, we all understand the issue to build our social media presence and engagement. Here are 8 simple ways that you can save time and increase your social media reach.
Take Videos and Photos On the Go!
Capture moments as they happen, from youth groups to parish celebrations and even your time out and about in the community. Use the “schedule” feature to upload posts, setting them to go live as the time is right. Just make sure that you understand when your audience is online, and publish your new posts when you have the highest user base.
Wake Up Earlier to Post (but, coffee first!)
Make it a habit to wake up 10 minutes earlier to respond to those who have responded to your social media posts overnight. This helps you be part of the community – and don’t forget to like and make encouraging comments on posts from your parishioners.
Consider Hiring a Professional
If you have the right social media management service, it can be a great help and time saver. Make sure that you match the tone and content of your message and offer consistent, uplifting posts. It might sound expensive but you can find inexpensive help or even volunteers in your church.
Be Authentic and Transparent in Your Posts
Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Be who you are as a parish and involve your church’s personality and beliefs in your content. Document who you are and what your parish is doing – and even consider offering behind-the-scenes views.
User-Generated Content (Crowd Sourcing)
Encourage your parishioners to tag something they think you’d like or things they’d love to see you post about. Not only will this help you be more involved in their lives outside of the church, but it also creates a greater integration between you and your parish. Or, like, and re-post some of their posts, as appropriate.
Don’t Be Afraid To Use Old Content
You can repost great content multiple times – some people may have missed it the first time, or you may have new followers who haven’t seen it at all. Just make sure that you tweak it a bit to give those who have seen it before a fresh glimpse.
Content On the Go
A simple tweet and send takes only a couple minutes, and you can make sure that your feed is fresh with your daily thoughts, whether you’re out in the community or at home with a cup of coffee.
Schedule Batch Posts
One of the best things to do, and what we encourage at Parish Content, is the batch posting and scheduling out your posts for the week all at once.You may find it easier to craft the best posts, or draft several that follow a theme, during times of inspiration. You can create posts and schedule them to be released at certain times, using tools like Later or Hootsuite, which allow you to create, then forget and allow your social media to run remotely.
Final Thoughts
Using Parish Content can help you elevate your social media posts on many platforms and boost your user engagement without making you have to reinvent the content wheel. It’s the perfect resource to help keep you involved in your community and allow your fans and followers to engage with your posts more.
