Social media marketing sometimes gets a bad rap in church circles. It’s persuasive, maybe even manipulative. It’s expensive and time-consuming. It’s shallow and a reflection of our me-me-me culture.
And sure, that *can* be the case. Like any tool we’re given, social media is amoral, and can be used for good or for evil, with pure intentions or with base motives. Here’s why it’s awesome:
- It’s free and easy to use.
- Most of your church members are probably already there – especially these days, it’s how we socialize.
- Social media offers functions that no free website does (hashtags, tagging, followers, event RSVPS all in one place) -and you don’t have to spend months building SEO to get views, like you would on an event/church website (which you should already have btw).
If your church doesn’t yet use social media for your large recurring events (or *gasp* at all), start with my Social Media Guide for Churches (but be sure to come right back!)
Today we’re going to break down a method for marketing church events on social media (with a dash of other elements). This is meant for those big events – the huge community festival or the doctrine conference – that happen every year or two and have a thematic continuity each time. For the sake of this guide, we’re going to use the example of a church conference.
If you’re already in tune with social media marketing basics and just want to get the scoop on 20+ types of content to post, scrooooooooll down to “But What Do I Post About?” for all the details.
Assign a publicity chair
Marketing your church’s conference is a job in and of itself. It’s not something to shove at someone’s teenager or add to the church receptionist’s plate.
The publicity chair needs to have a seat on the planning committee and be well versed in the vision, themes and directions of the conference. They’re going to be responsible for taking those abstracts and creating a concrete set of social media posts, from significant to trivial, that convey your event’s vision and your church’s values.
Decide on a branding package
Don’t let the term scare you. At a basic level, this just means you’ve decided on what fonts, colors, logos, background images and so on fit the tenor and themes of the conference. Those elements offer a consistent thread throughout all your conference marketing: your social media profile pictures and infographics, blog headers, banner-style cover photos, and should be used in all marketing emails and any event website/webpage as well.
Set up the appropriate accounts & pages
A Facebook event page is the bare minimum. Just do it.
For an annual conference, I’d set up dedicated Facebook and Instagram accounts. Provide posting access to one or two key people only, with clear communication around who is responsible for adding content and writing copy, responding to comments & DMs, and posting Stories.
Even if the links and redirects go to the event page on your church’s main website, the ‘welcome mat’ of your social media accounts are consistent, clear, and on topic for the specific purpose: the conference.
NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF
Posting Activity
When people are curious about a page they just landed on, they’re usually checking how (1) recent and (2) consistent the content is. While you certainly do NOT need to post year-round about your annual conference, there are at least three time periods that should reflect a higher level of activity:
Announcing the conference and/or opening registration (for large conferences, sometimes the announcement of the dates is weeks or months prior to registration opening, or even at the prior year’s event!)
Leading up to the event weekend & throughout
Videos/sessions released online (whether free or for purchase)
If you’re starting these pages brand new, plan out at least 4-6 pieces of content over a few weeks to show some sort of history (this could include highlights, favorite quotes, video clips and so on from the prior year).
Quick Tips for Growing An Audience
Both you as an admin, and church members as followers, can invite their friends to follow the page. This is one of the fastest ways to grow an initial follower group.
Share event page posts on your main church page to direct viewers there to check it out.
HASHTAGS are amazing! A lot of people follow specific hashtags, and check out new users. #churchconference and related hashtags around your topics & themes are important to use on every post.
Share posts to your church’s Stories and encourage others to do so too to spread the word.
Both
Announce the new social media platforms to your church and ask those who are interested in the conference to follow them; explain that event details will be consistently disbursed there, making those pages an informational resource.
Include social links in all email correspondence, and include them in a prominent place on the website. Refer to the Facebook event page as the go-to place for announcements and up-to-the-minute information.
This is why I’m such a fan of having separate, individual accounts for recurring events. If I’m driving three hours to a Christian conference, I’m invested enough to follow it on Instagram to both get excited and stay informed. But I probably don’t want to see random posts from the hosting church all year about their new Sunday School teacher or where the high school short term missions trip went.
On the flip side, if I attend that church but don’t have kids, I’m going to get really tired of seeing weekly posts about the upcoming parenting conference cluttering my feed, when what I’m wanting to get are my pastors’ mini devotionals, service livestreams and church announcements.
It’s hard enough to build an audience. Give them what they’re there for.
But What Do I Post About?
Muahahahaha I saved the best for last. Here are plenty of ideas about what to post during those key timeframes leading up to: opening conference registration, the event itself, and the weeks following:
Leading up to Conference Registration Opening
Ensure that the About sections of your social media accounts are updated and have correct website links, dates and so on.
Post video clips from last year’s event (30-60 seconds) to show the caliber & quality of your conferences.
Email last year’s attendees asking them to (1) write reviews on the Facebook page of their experience at the conference and (2) send in short cellphone videos of how they’ve used the teaching in the last year (perhaps do a random drawing for a pair of tickets or a local attraction/dinner out gift card to incentivize participation!). This is two-fold: past attendees are now more emotionally involved in the success of your event, and you’ll use the videos as testimonials.
Create a promo video (or graphic) & text post about this year’s event, that includes the basic when-where-how much information and a link to your website where visitors can register and get all the details. Save this as a PINNED POST on Facebook to keep it at the top of the page. From now on, this is your anchor. No more talking about last year!
Announce registration! (send another email to your mailing list here too)
Space out your ‘past attendee experience’ videos as hype posts for ‘why you should register’.
Post about early bird discounts and post warnings when prices change.
Post information (link to a blog post or webpage if it’s too long) regarding travel, driving directions, accommodations, weather, etc.
Hyping up the event
Post a video/photo and bio of each speaker, their topic and their background.
Introduce the hosting church, planning committee and key behind-the-scenes players. This makes people feel like they know you and it’s really part of digital hospitality.
Answer FAQs that are rolling in; there should be a webpage on these but can also be snippets spread out on social.
Continue to share past-attendee testimonials as appropriate.
The Last Week
Now your attendees are really mentally engaged in the process. They’re packing an overnight bag or making sure the babysitter will arrive on time. Smaller, fun pieces of content are much more interesting now than they would have been three months ago. While you’ll still get registrations veeeeery late in the process, the bulk of your audience has already committed and your communication is getting them emotionally psyched to actually go do this thing.
Instagram & Facebook stories are fantastic for this – they’re more casual than a post and since they disappear in 24 hours, they fit those fleeting moments so well.
Posts
Reaffirm how excited you and the entire planning committee and speakers are for the conference
Reaffirm the vision and purpose of the conference
Explain process for last-minute registrations
Tell people where to go when they arrive (“Pre-registrations will line up under the blue banner, day-of under the white. Once you’ve checked in, enjoy coffee and scones before we begin”, etc.
Weekend itinerary & reminder where to find it on the website
Stories
Shaky-cam cellphone video walking through the setup process, waving at the people setting up chairs and the A/V team in the sound booth.
Sneak peaks of the worship team/worship music, the video packages, lighting etc.
Closeups of table centerpieces, breakfast trays, the printed program, etc.
Afterward
Thank people for attending!!
Share snippets of anonymized anecdotes from the event – things you heard people say, how far someone traveled to be there.
Providing a link to a feedback form or website
Post highlight videos from each of the speakers and ask for comments about what people learned/are digesting from the weekend.
Ask attendees to write a Review of their experience on the Facebook page
Remind attendees of next year’s conference dates
In conclusion
As with any brainstorm list, this one can be overwhelming! Keep in mind that this content plan is meant to be spaced out over weeks and even months. And not every conference or church event needs a full court press. If marketing an event on social media is new to you, just start with a few of the ideas, and layer in a couple more each time. You’ll get more used to the process and start noticing the little moments and snagging a quick picture for the ‘gram almost without thinking.
At the end of the day, social media marketing for your church’s conference is just one of the pieces that makes the event a success. It’s also a challenge, but a fulfilling one. You got this.
If your church is in need of some help with social media in general, head over to my Social Media Guide for Churches for a downloadable PDF that breaks down quick ideas on building a consistent and sustainable social media presence for your church.