You've heard that, with its more than 500 million users, Facebook is now the 3rd largest "country" in the world! What does that mean? It means, the second you log in to Facebook you have just entered one of the LARGEST mission fields in the history of the planet! Spreading your message has never been so important. Getting your message to go VIRAL is the best way to reach the WORLD with your message.
Virally?
What do we mean when we saying viral? We mean passing on the message from one person to another, multiplying exponentially after each exposure and finally leading to epidemic proportions. (Well, at least 100 NEW people!)
Just like anything else, success does not come overnight (unless your Justin Bieber). It all boils down to publishing content consistently that your congregation will appreciate, enjoy and ultimately help in bringing them closer to Christ.
Let's begin with the Basics:
Daily Posts
The fundamental rule in Social Media engagement is to always be "UPDATING". People are always on the lookout for what is new, so make it a point to post daily or better yet as often as you can. No matter what your topic or theme may be, keep it clear, simple and interesting. If you do that, your followers will quickly respond and even re-post it. Try an inspirational verse or saying for the day... Guaranteed "Like" magnet!
Pictures
Photos and humor will bring more attention than anything else on Facebook. Just make sure that you don't post personal or controversial pictures and always ask permission before posting pictures of your congregations as some people have good reasons not to have their picture on Facebook. (Even people in the Witness Protection Program have to go to Church!)
Videos
Oh, the questions I get on this one! Do I need a fancy camera and lapel mic with a camera man and a production team ready to edit the video with 3D graphics and lower thirds? NO. Most Laptops have a built-in camera and mic that is good enough to do daily devotional videos for your congregation. The KEY here is to make it easy, simple and part of your daily or weekly routine. If your spending more than 10 or 15 minutes, you're taking too long!
Simple steps:
1. Keep it below two minutes and one is even better!
2. Use whatever camera you have or buy a $39 dollar USB webcam at Walmart
3. Use jing from techsmith (free) to record your desktop or your face.
4. Upload to screencast (a free service provided by jing)
4. Switch back and forth from your face to your desktop for an incredible cool effect that people will wonder if you put HOURS in your production!
5. Just do it. Record, upload and post to Facebook...Today!
The great thing about this process is that there is NO editing and No setup. Very quick way to get a daily video out the door for your congregation.
Send A Note
If you think that a Note is the same as the regular status update, you are wrong. Using the Notes is recommended for posting longer messages as it does not have a maximum character limit. Moreover, notes can be easily retrieved unlike a status update which may be difficult to locate especially when there are numerous posts made in a single day. (I usually have several hundred!) So, if one of your followers would like to read a certain post again, all they have to do is go over your notes tab and quickly find "the eloquent masterpiece's you have written". You can see the Notes application on the left side of your Facebook Home Page. From there, you can write your message and start tagging people.
Tagging
Tagging is a feature in Facebook that allows users to refer and identify people in Photos, Videos and Notes. It is a way of linking and sharing information to a targeted audience. This function however has its limits such that Facebook only allows a maximum of 50 tags for both Photos and Videos and 30 tags for Notes. For the more advanced users, there's always a work around for this. (Yes, I've got connections.)
Like/Share/Re-post
The good old reliable Like, Share and Re-Post are your most convenient allies in Facebook. These 3 gestures are displayed on Live Feed and your friends and congregation who think the same will most likely duplicate it. Personally I'm very glad there isn't a Dis-Like button
Questions and Polls
Posting of Questions and Polls is a sure way of catching people's attention. Who doesn't like giving their opinion. Questions spark people's interest and will ignite healthy discussions along the way. Facebook provided some template questionnaires, otherwise you can make your own. Take full advantage of this feature to analyze and evaluate issues, interests, feedbacks or even sermon research. Friends can be invited to take the poll and you can also link the poll to an Event. (OK, that's about as complicated as I'm going to get.)
Guest Poster
Once in a while, it is a refreshing twist for your followers to see a post from a "Guest Poster/Pastor". You can invite an upcoming speaker to post a few times to introduce himself and prepare your congregation for him coming. Ask some members of your group to contribute to your Facebook Page's content. Use this strategy at random so that it will not be predictable. Remember to give "teasers" prior to the event date to build-up excitement on your Page.
Events
Creating an Event is another way to circulate your message across your followers and even beyond your Church members as Events are displayed on a person's Facebook profile and News Feeds. Keeping your Event public will also allow non-followers to see it (and all its contents) and may add themselves to the guest list. Inviting non-Facebook users is also possible as long as you have their e-mail addresses.
If you have a Twitter account, you can use it alongside Facebook to spread information. Before, Twitter was primarily used as a messenger to invite Twitter followers to view Updates/Postings on Facebook Pages. Lately, Facebook users have been allowed to post status updates from Twitter to Facebook using the Twitter App.
Contest
Have you noticed the surge of Facebook contests? You too could use the same for your Church's Facebook Page. Stick to fun, simple and interesting themes like photo contests, art contests, t-shirt/poster design contests, best "quotation", "passage", or "tips", guessing games (ex. how many golf balls are in a fishbowl), and bring-in-a-friend (referral) to name a few.
Now, to the More Advanced Stuffs:
Word of Mouth and Discussion Boards
Facebook's Discussion Board is an avenue for making connections between and among people on Facebook. A Public Discussion Board is generally provided in a Facebook Fan Page. However, it takes a few steps to set-up a Private Discussion Board (if you prefer it that way). It is basically a chat room where people talk about certain topics or a way to catch-up on each other.
Newsletter
Newsletters automatically send the most recent updates or feeds from a Page to its followers. Most often, these Newsletters are sent via e-mail. They work to increase readership and engagement as well as encourage participation in discussions. There are several Newsletter Applications available on Facebook and it's up to you to choose which among fit your requirements.
Meme
A more contemporary viral phenomenon dubbed as "Meme" has also taken Facebook by the storm. Memes are unique ideas that are created and transmitted among people within a culture to be specifically imitated. Facebook had its memorable share of Memes in the past year such as "25 Things" (Make a list of 25 random things about yourself), "Cartoon Character" (Sometime in November 2010, users were asked to use Cartoon Character for their Profile Picture as a campaign to end child abuse) and "Doppelganger Week" (Posting a picture of yourself beside a celebrity that resembles you, some kind of a look-a-like game). If you happen to have an idea or a concept similar to this that would advance your cause, by all means spread it!
These techniques might overwhelm you at first but as a friend of mine always says "Do it once and you can do it again, better". In other words, Practice makes perfect.
To conclude, getting people to like and follow your Church's Facebook Page is pretty manageable, however, keeping people interested, connected and really grasp its mission is a totally different ballgame. If you play the social media game right, Your message will be spread across the world fulfilling our great commission.