The Architecture of a Social Networking Strategy (Part 3) - Facebook
Posted by Joe Day
Why Facebook is good for your church
With hundreds of millions of people around the world using Facebook, it is critical that your church have a presence on this social networking site. Be sure to have a church fan page, make your own church news via status updates, and build your following.
Facebook can be a bridge to pull in people who are seeking to learn more about God and the church. “Friending” people at your church, viewing possible church events to attend, or just reading about what your church believes can be great ways to draw in seekers.
Facebook Best Practices for your Church
1) News Feed Optimization! Facebook rates every page and action with its EdgeRank algorithm to ensure you only see your friends’ most interesting activity. And how can Facebook tell if something’s interesting? By tracking the number and kind of interactions it gets, such as comments, likes, shares, and clicks.
So at least from an organizational standpoint, posting interesting stuff on your wall is really what Facebook is all about.
2) So, how do you make your news posts interesting? Here are some tips:
- Ask a question – this is bound to pull answers from your followers.
- Ask them to “like” your post. Example: “Click “like” if you plan to be at the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday!”
- Ask fans to post photos where your church name is tagged. This will get you into the news feed.
3) Get people to “like” your fan page so that your news posts will show up on their wall. So, make your landing page as clear as can be about what you want them to do… click the “like” button!
4) Your fan page for your church is necessary, but will get very little repeat traffic. Statistically, only 4% of people who ever visit a fan page return to it again. So, that page will not be the best place or way to engage followers on a regular basis…. It is all about the news feed!