Communicating on social media platforms is like talking. If your conversations do not have a purpose, are not engaging, or are just plain boring; you soon will not have an audience. To keep your viewers engaged, be purposeful with all your social media posts. Read on for several ways you can engage them!
Your posts should entice your audience to do something after reading. It may be to share the post with friends, answer a question, donate money, sign up to volunteer. Action needs taken, and you hope they are the one to do it! This engagement is a perfectly legitimate and you should not shy away from it. The purpose of social media is to engage, so get out there and do one of these things!
Share
Sometimes you just want your audience to share what you have to say. It might be an event announcement, a significant church milestone, or just a Bible verse. You want them to Like and Share on Facebook; Retweet on Twitter, Re-Pin on Pinterest, or post on LinkedIn. Regardless if you want them to tell others, put that in the actual message. If you tweet something on Twitter, be sure to spend some of your 140 characters on a “Please Retweet” request.
Conversation Starters
By asking open ended questions you can start a conversation with your audience. Do you have a special worship concert planned for Christmas? Ask your audience for their favorite hymns and carols, and most importantly, why. Find a way to forge a connection not only with church leadership, but with their community. Have someone watch the conversation. Then ask probing questions that draw out more information and background. Also, keep an eye out for potential squabbles. Do not squash them, but, yet be sure to moderate the discussion to keep it respectful and family friendly.
Donate Money
Believe it or not, many people are looking for a way to financially support a worthy ministry. Church members and fellow Christians around the world will hopefully see the good your church is doing and try to support it. Electronic payment methods are now easy to put in place. So accepting online donations via your website is almost a rule. Why not promote a cause and ask for some support? Although it should not be an everyday occurrence, an occasional nudge may help out your annual budget.
Volunteer Time
You probably have volunteer drives; especially in the wake of a holiday and a jump in membership. Your aim is of course to entice the new members to start getting more involved than just attending Sunday service. Reach your younger crowds by posting that cry for help along with links to sign-up forms.
You might want to use one of these engagements along with a new landing page. Target your content to explain the benefits of their pending action. By all means; make the action they should take obvious. Use a combination of color and white space to draw attention to the form, button, or link they need to click to continue.
Action Item
Have a clear and understandable purpose with each interaction you post on social media sites. Be sure to ask your audience to do something so you are not only pushing out information, but pressing them to engage with your brand. Finally, put someone in charge of monitoring and responding to these social media interactions. Curate those responses and enjoy the benefit of engaging with an international audience.
Photo courtesy of Helmut Gevert
