3 Rules for Social Media Engagement

1. Create buzz worthy and passable content.

• • Passable content gets people to stop through the noise, and look. It attracts attention and becomes viral in nature.
  • Passable means your social network passes your content on themselves by pressing share or reposting it. It replicates a message not through purchase of an ad, but through user to user contact.

“You never have to convince people to attend a good party. Have content that is of value, that makes people want to hit share and pass on to the next person, if not then you are just adding to the noise,” says Professor Bill Tibbetts.

2. Building ways that your congregation can promote the church and its message themselves in multiple online social media venues.

• • Encourage your congregation/supporters to create their own content with GoPro videos, using hashtags or posting photots.
  • #Hashtags – phrases can trend on social media, take advantage of this trend by creating your own unique, funny, quirky phrase to encourage engagement.

“We’re using social media platforms as search engines as opposed to googling everything,” says Prof. Bill Tibbetts.

3. It is conversational.

• • Monitor your social media channels for feedback. If your social media looks dead, people will not ever come back. When people engage, ask questions or post, you’ve got to engage with them as well. “Usually a rule of thumb should be to respond within 60 minutes or less,” says Prof. Bill Tibbetts.
  • It allows for user participation and dialogue between members and between members and the church.
  • Today’s office “water cooler” is replaced by social media – but you have to engage with them.

 

On March 20, 2018 Dr. Brian Stewart and Dean Bill Tibbetts of North Central University’s School of Business taught our Ministry Equip seminar on “Strategic Social Media.” In our ever evolving social media landscape, this seminar taught effective social media marketing tools for faith-based non-profits.

 

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