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5 Tips for Incorporating Live Video in Your Social Media Plan

Sean Cronin — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 10:00:25 +0000

by Jeff Reed: Video, Video, Video! You’ve heard it – Video is the king of content on social media. So how do you start to incorporate video into your social media plan? Here are five tips!

Start Small – Add one video per month to your plan, then, try a weekly video. Don’t get overwhelmed or set yourself up with an expectation that you can’t carry on.

Don’t Record Live at First – If you (or your pastor) are timid about being on camera or concerned about being ‘live’, take the videos on your phone first and then upload as a video on Facebook or Instagram. Don’t worry about the one minute limit on Instagram because you can load the video into IGTV.

Set Reminders – If you plan to go live, set reminders in your calendar or phone roughly 15 minutes before you plan to go live. This time will allow you to get to your perfect spot and walk through what you want to say.

Find Good Lighting – If your office is dark and dim, head outside! Test out a few locations with quick videos and ask for feedback from someone else to see which location is the best for your video recording.

Don’t Overthink It – Live videos are just that LIVE! They might not be perfect, you might say the wrong thing – just pause and correct yourself. Be human and move on!

Here’s a good example of a Wednesday Live video from my church in Tampa. Pastor Matthew goes live like clockwork every Wednesday around noon. Sometimes he brings a scripture, sometimes he talks about upcoming events, sometimes he is on vacation and he still hops on to talk with our viewers!

Source: 5 Tips for Incorporating Live Video in Your Social Media Plan

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5 Social Media Posts That Your Church Should Be Sharing

Sean Cronin — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

by Jeff Reed: Creating meaningful social media posts for your church can feel like such a daunting task, but being intentional and taking the time to plan your content will create a much more meaningful experience for your audience!

What is God Up To – “Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.” – Psalm 96:3. Share photos from a recent event, share a story from a mission trip, share a personal story of an attender that was impacted by your church, or other ‘glory sighting’. Use your social media as a space to tell the stories that you might not have time or space in a Sunday morning service to share.
Meet The Staff – Tell us about their family, their hobbies, or how they got into ministry. This is your chance to introduce your congregation to staff that doesn’t appear on stage as often. Parents often see their child’s bible school teacher or youth leader for a few minutes before and after service, but they would love to get to know them better – they are caring for and teaching their children.
Volunteer Spotlight – This post is two fold! First, the post introduces your attendees to the volunteers that serve and challenges them to get involved. It is perfectly ok to introduce a volunteer and end the post with “Join them in Kid’s Ministry – email Suzie to get involved.” Give them a call to action! The second amazing benefit is it shows value to your volunteer – these people work hours and will feel so valued and special by being featured on the social media accounts! It helps if you can tag them or share it with them once it is posted live.
Sermon Quote or Video Clip – Take a memorable or challenging quote and provide it to your audience during the week – in text form or a bonus if you can share a video clip from the service. Whether they attended your service over the weekend or not, this could be a great mid-week check for them to realign their week with Jesus.
A Mid-Week Live Video – This can be done by your pastor or other key person. Provide an encouraging word to those that may need a ‘pick-me-up’. Preview the weekend message and challenge people to invite someone new with them. Or you could highlight an event that your church is hosting! There are so many options for this type of video and it’s a bonus that video plays so well in the algorithms.

Source: 5 Social Media Posts That Your Church Should Be Sharing

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Churches and Instagram in 2020: Podcast 278

Sean Cronin — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

In this podcast, Nils Smith and Aaron Magnuson talk about developments and challenges in the world of social media in 2019 and new opportunities for churches and organizations at the start of 2020. Listen as they share their thoughts on different social media platforms they are looking to invest their time and effort in this coming year. This and more on this SMC podcast.

Share your thoughts using the hashtag #SMCPodcast.

A Shownotes to: Churches and Instagram in 2020: Podcast 278

Source: Churches and Instagram in 2020: Podcast 278

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Social Media Trends and the Next Generation: Podcast 252

Patrick Bradley — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 09:00:05 +0000

by Nils Smith: While Facebook continues to grow globally, younger generations are spending more time on other platforms. Join Nils and Nick in this podcast as they share opinions, trends and tips on how social media can be utilized, especially by ministries, for the coming generations.

Share your thoughts using the hashtag #SMCPodcast.

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A Shownotes to Social Media Trends and the Next Generation: Podcast 252

* Audio content courtesy of the Social Media Church podcast – Subscribe on iTunes | Android | RSS *

Source: Social Media Trends and the Next Generation: Podcast 252

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5 Tips for Good Old-Fashioned Social Networking, Online

Patrick Bradley — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 09:00:00 +0000

by Brandon A. Cox: If you’ve read Rewired, you might remember that the first section of the book aims to prove that social networking isn’t new. In fact, it’s as old as humanity.

We’ve always sought connection. We’ve always spread news socially and relationally. In the last decade and a half, we’ve started doing it online.

In other words, social networking is old-fashioned. It’s the way we used to do things before mass media came along and interrupted our mojo.

It’s okay to market messages to the masses, but the beauty of social media is that it allows us to get personal. And in getting personal, we form relationships at various levels. Those relationships are built on trust, and trust is the key to better marketing.

So, how do you go old-fashioned? How do you get back to the basic, rudimentary principle of one-on-one communication in a mass media world?

I wanted to give you a tip per network that actually brings about better connectedness and deeper relationships.

1. With LinkedIn, customize your connection message as often as you can.

The new and easy way is to hit the “connect” button on all of the suggestions LinkedIn throws your way.

It’s far more effective and meaningful to click through to the person’s profile (which they will know about, which signals that you are interested in them) and hit the connect button there, adding a customized message along the way.

You don’t have to do this every time, but do it as often as you can. And, study up on your LinkedIn skills.

2. With Twitter, actually read an auto-dm and actually respond.

A lot of people hate the though of automatically sending a direct message to new Twitter followers because it’s not personal. But neither is a welcome email. I think they’re fine. In fact, there can be an advantage to receiving them.

Occasionally dip into your DM’s and click the link the person sent you. Then, respond in a meaningful way with something like,

Hi, very nice! I appreciate your passion for ___ and will keep learning from you about that along the way. Let me know if I can ever help you!

Almost nobody expects you to read it, much less respond, and it gets attention when you do. That attention becomes a conversation, which becomes a relationship.

3. With Facebook, leave comments designed to encourage.

This isn’t anything revolutionary. Just leave a comment designed to encourage the person who posted the post. That’s it.

Why is this so powerful? Because Facebook is a place where most comments tend to be either negative or narcissistic and rarely focus on showing appreciation.

When someone does respond positively to something they like, it’s usually with a “like” or a reaction, but not an encouraging comment.

In short, they stand out. And positive, affirming comments make the world a better place, right?

4. With Instagram, double-tap.

Again, this is simple, but it’s often forgotten. We do so much scrolling and browsing and posting that we forget to slow down and acknowledge something we like by hitting the little heart or double-tapping.

Liking posts on Instagram is also personal because, in most cases, the poster will get a notification that you’ve liked their post.

5. With email, get and respond to replies.

I understand that if you’re in the retail industry, or have a list of 250,000 or more, you don’t have time to see and respond to every reply, but when your list is in the thousands or less, be accessible. Let replies come to you. They’ll be rare anyway.

In case you’re wondering why I mention email along with the other major social networks, it’s because we often forget that email was the original online social network. And it’s still, by far, the most personal form of online communication.

So keep it personal. Use it in a way that establishes trust. And make it a relational tool.

This is old-fashioned networking – having conversations with people, through any medium.

By the way, if you’re into social media, online marketing, church communications, etc. then you must know about these two FREE online events…

and…

I’m Brandon. I’m the Lead Pastor of Grace Hills Church in Northwest Arkansas, which my wife, Angie, and I planted in January of 2012. I previously served as a Pastor at Saddleback Church and still manage Pastor Rick Warren’s online, global ministry to pastors, Pastors.com. I also blog about blogging, life and church leadership, and men’s issues, and I’ve written a book – Rewired, which challenges the church to adopt social media to spread the good news about Jesus.

Source: 5 Tips for Good Old-Fashioned Social Networking, Online

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