Contrary to popular belief, social media isn’t free. Doing social media well requires focus, time, investment and energy. Working in a non-profit like a church means that we are very, very lean on the size of our social media budget and team. But there are three vital elements that remain the same for everyone, whether you are an advanced social ninja or a noob to social media.
1. Content strategy
You’ve got to have a plan and create ideas around that plan. Here are 46 posting ideas that can get you started. Planning takes time and energy. Here is one way to plan with some helpful tips and a free template I created. Not having a strategy and a plan is the most common mistake I see. The picture often looks like this. A church or non-profit starts up on a social media platform with a burst of activity, but slowly and surely it dies a painful death of no posts and no engagement. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
2. Content creation
I’m not responsible for creating most of our the content. My team is. I have graphic designers who create some content and I select photos, quotes and post them into our schedule for our Volunteer Community Ambassador to upload and engage with our audience. (Here are some examples of the exceptional content they create)
3. Community Management/Ambassador
I’ve written and got opinionated about this before. You need someone who is your audience front facing representative to monitor, engage and respond to your social community. Social is called social for a reason. Interaction.
The size of your team will vary, I started out doing everything myself, but now I’m fortunate to rely on others who do most of the work.
Your turn
Agree/Disagree? What other elements do you think are needed? Comment below.
