Every church should have a social media strategy. I know that’s a big statement that covers a ton of ground but the truth is that churches that have not given attention to how they will leverage social media are missing a valuable tool to communicate info, cast vision, and connect with the community. Four years ago we really began to be strategic with how we interacted with social media at Grace Community Church and now four years later we are still shaping that strategy. Here are a few reminders about social media…

• Social media is always in flux.
• Social media can be a huge distraction.
• Social media is a powerful communication & connection tool.
• Social media is not THE communication tool for your organization it’s ONE communication tool.

Here are a few lessons we have learned about leveraging social media to have a greater impact in our community…

• Identify Your Platforms // you can’t be on every social media platform but you need to lock into the ones that most of your crowd uses. We leverage Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a blog. That’s where we focus. You have to choose what works best for your context.
• Empower a Social Media Director // this is a must for every organization no matter the size. You need to empower a volunteer or paid staff to coordinate consistent updates. We have a communications director in our setting and she keeps things moving for our church. Focused attention is critical along with involvement with other team members.
• Be Social with Social Media // Social media is useless if it does not have someone giving it attention so that there is a social interactive feel with the information! You actually need to interact with people with your platforms!
• Talk About Your Social Media Platforms in Your Environments // if you want to connect with people in your crowd through social media then you have to talk about those ways to connect in your environments. There are times in all our environments we push people to go connect with us on our platforms.
• Balance Information with Inspiration // Social media can’t just be a commercial for your events. Make sue and add value to people who follow your ministry by leading them to Jesus even through your posts and tweets!
• Keep Experimenting // Social media is always changing so keep up with how other churches are leveraging it and keep trying new things. One thing is for sure, the social media landscape will change every few years so get ready to make the shift!

If you want to learn more about social media and how to leverage it I want to point you in 2 directions. Check out a book that my friend Terrace Crawford wrote called Going Social and make sure and follow Justin Wise online!