How to Market Your Church on Social Media

“Social media marketing” has been around for more than a decade.  And yet many of us still aren’t quite sure what it means or who it’s for. Is “social media marketing” just for consumer brands and so-called influencers? Or could it be for churches?

The truth is, marketing your church on social media could be one of the smartest and most affordable ways to spread the word about your community. 

In the following article, we’ll look at how you can successfully market your church on social media.

How to Market Your Church on Social Media

When you chose to work for a church, you probably did it because you felt called to ministry and to advance the Kingdom of God. Maybe you didn’t dream of spending your time on social media, promoting your church community. 

But here’s the truth: Technology can be a tool for the Kingdom! Church marketing is important because it ultimately helps promote the Gospel. 

When you see social media as one strategy for telling people about Jesus and connecting them with your awesome community, it becomes far more exciting. Here are seven simple strategies for using social media to market your church.

7 Creative Ways to Market Your Church on Social Media

1.) Post daily devotional videos. 

Every pastor wants to see a church full of people who spend daily time reading the Bible and in prayer. But it can feel difficult to focus on daily devotional time…especially in the midst of everyday obligations. Digital distractions don’t make the task any easier. 

Posting a daily devotional video on your Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok account will engage people right where they are–often, on their mobile phones. You can do a quick reading of a Bible passage with insight and interpretation or even just offer a prayerful encouragement. 

In any case, you’re providing people with something of real substance that can help encourage and edify them during their regular workweek. For people that don’t go to your church, it can be a great way to show them who you are and give them a taste of your community.

2.) Post Scripture. 

Stop people in their endless scrolling and post Bible verses on your Instagram and Facebook accounts. It takes just a few minutes to put together a post with Scripture, and it’s a simple way to promote truth to both believers and non-believers (remember to use hashtags that can help spread the reach of your post!)

3.) Show photos of real people in your community. 

Stock photos can be great for quick posts, but showing real people in your community is evidence of a thriving church and Godly relationships. Remember that many people who see your posts may be struggling with loneliness and isolation. Highlighting friendships and connections can be a great way to draw people into your church. 

Just remember to give people a way to respond to your post by directing them to a Small Groups page or information about your weekend services.

4.) Highlight a church event. 

Next time you have a special event at church–or even a regular weekend service–delegate a staff member or volunteer to post Instagram or Facebook stories that show people what’s happening in real time. These can include still shots, video clips from worship or a sermon, or even a simple text post that gives more details about your live event.

Again, make sure to include information about how people can attend future events. That may include information about your church services times and locations or a URL with event registration details.

5.) Run a poll. 

On some social media platforms, you can run a poll that allows you to ask a simple question to your audience. Here are some ideas for thought-provoking questions that can also give you an idea of who is engaging with your social media accounts.

• “Do you wish church was during the week, instead of on the weekend?”
• “Do you read the Bible every day?” 
• “Did you grow up going to church?”
• “Have you ever wanted to serve full-time in ministry?”
• “Would you like to learn more about how to read the Bible, pray, or evangelize?”

Running a poll is a great way to show people that you are engaged and listening–a key to effective marketing in the 21st century!

6.) Post a call with the pastoral staff. 

Your leadership team says a lot about who you are as a church. Organizing a video call with your staff–and publishing that video on social media–can help people see who your church really is. Here are some ideas for topics of discussion you can tackle on the call:

• How can the church reach Generation Z?
• What is the role of social media in churches?
• What are some effective ways to invite friends, coworkers, and neighbors to church?
• What have you learned about effective leadership?

Remember, the video call doesn’t have to be perfectly polished. People appreciate and respond to authenticity!

7.) Engage with new communities. 

If you’re trying to create more of a presence in your community, try following local organizations, clubs, restaurants, even other churches. Then engage with their posts and videos by commenting and liking. 

8.) Run an ad campaign.

Finally, you can use paid advertising on most social media platforms to run a marketing campaign. You can use this strategy for a special event–such as a conference–or even your weekend services.

A Final Word on Digital Marketing for Churches

Is church marketing Biblical? Absolutely. 

Paul said,

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. (Philippians 1:18)

Using social media to promote your church online is a strategic and cost-effective way to “preach Christ” to those who might not have otherwise heard the gospel.

Finally, effective church marketing starts with great management. Breeze church management software can help you stay organized with your contact list, organize workflows for your staff, manage events and volunteers, and more.