Social Media and Contemporary Church Issues

Social Media Platforms and Strategies

October 14, 2011

Don ClemmerCatherine Panzica

Social Media Revolution 2011

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the

question is how well we DO it. ”

-Erik Qualman

Where to begin?

Social Media Strategy

Getting Started:• Integrate• Goals and Objectives• Research• Identify• Personality• Content • Metrics

Integrate your social media strategy with your communications plan

Differences in tactics

Communications Social Media Brand in control Audience in controlDeliver message Part of conversationBrand focus Audience focusEducate InfluenceOrganization User created contentcreated content

With social media, your supporters become

the message.

Source: “What’s Next in Media” by Neil Perkin

Determine your goals and objectives

What key points do you want to make?

Common social media goals

• Increase website traffic• Improve search engine rankings• Improve brand awareness• Improve public relations • Improve bad/damaged reputation

Research the tools

Develop a list of platforms you can use to engage

Your best bets (due to popularity)

Identify your audience

Who do you want to reach?

Then determine

• What will resonate with them?• What are they saying?• Where are they saying it?

Develop a personality

How do you want others to perceive you?

Develop your online personality

• Select 2-3 keywords that describe your organization• Keep those words in mind whenever

you share content, respond to comments, etc.• Share content that aligns with your

keywords

Create a content strategy

What are you going to share with your audience?

Share content that

• Resonates (evokes emotion/memories)• Drives success

Tip: Send out surveys to some in your audience, ask what kind of content they’d be interested in.

Monitor relevant metrics

What are you going to measure, and why?

Goal MetricIncrease traffic Unique visitors/

Referrer

Improve search SERP (Search Engineengine rankings Results Page)

Improve public Comments/Tone relations/reputation

Increase awareness Reach

Know how to track performance on social

media platforms

Facebook (Insights): Fans, comments, likes, interactions

Twitter: Followers, link tracking, mentions, retweets

Blogs: Subscribers, comments, views, SERP

Social media best practices/tips and tricks

Facebook Pages Best Practices

• Find your voice• Always share a link, photo or video (and take advantage of

thumbnails)• Start off slow, don’t forget nights/weekends• Encourage staff and volunteers to be active on the page• Have more than one page administrator • Use the “Favorites” functionality• “Tag” other pages• Integrate your Facebook page into your website, e-

newsletter, blog, print materials and e-mails

Source: “Social Media for Social Good” Heather Mansfield

Advanced Facebook Best Practices

• Create custom tabs (Facebook app)• Experiment with Facebook ads• Create a vanity URL

o (Edit Page > Resources > Select a Username)

• Utilize Facebook events o (Edit Page > Apps > Events)

Source: “Social Media for Social Good” Heather Mansfield

Twitter Best Practices

• Find your Twitter voice• Track your links • Don’t tweet only your own content• Retweet and reply often

o Great news! RT @CatholicNewsSvc New Orleans Catholic Charities gets $15 million http://bit.ly/oGgk6Q #CNSstory

• Follow the 1:1 ratio• Create lists• Use hashtags (#churchsocial)• Tweet around 4-6 times per day• Design your Twitter profile to match your

organizations branding

Source: “Social Media for Social Good” Heather Mansfield

Blogging Best Practices

• Allow comments, but moderate them• Use photos and/or video in all posts• Use proper tags

o Search term “Catholic” – 234,000,000 resultso Search term “Christian” – 1,270,000,000

results• Feature the ability to subscribe to your other

social networks• Add share functionality (if not already built in)• Add search functionality • Allow guest bloggers

Source: “Social Media for Social Good” Heather Mansfield

Content Ideas

• News releases• Interesting stories• Photos • Videos • Breaking news• Calls to action• Numbered lists

Source: “Social Media for Social Good” Heather Mansfield