How to Brand Your Church Using Social Media
I hold weekly online office hours on Wednesday afternoons. A set-aside time where I open up the virtual doors of my office and say, “Come, child. Let us discuss the matters of life.”
Anything is fair game, but mostly we end up talking about blogging, social media and velociraptors. Yes, velociraptors.
At any rate, a question came through from a reader who asked,
Do you have any PRO TIPS for branding a church plant?
I liked the question because I don’t think enough church planters think this through before they start. Frankly, I don’t blame them for not putting design and branding at the top of the list. With Bibles, budgets and buildings to be worried about, design slowly sifts to the bottom of the list.
Although it may not be on the top of mind, it should be. In the words of my high school football coach, “You look good, you play good!”
Branding is easier now than ever before. And for the most part, it’s free or low-cost. We’ll be talking more about this topic at the BeDeviant Social Media Summit, but here’s how I answered the question:
First, get specific. If I were to start a church tomorrow (I’m not), I’d find out as much as possible about the city that I’m planting in. I’d build off of something unique about that city. For instance, here in Des Moines we have the Gateway Park downtown. One of my friends, Paul, planted a church downtown and named it, you guessed it, The Gateway Church (http://TheGatewayChurch.com). This tells people, “Hey, we care about this city. We’re here to stay.”
Second, I’d invest in killer design. One of my undergrad communication professors said, “Presentation is half the battle.” I’ve never forgotten it. If your church brand is aesthetically pleasing, the better the chances are that people will come and visit. This works on a subconscious level mostly. Good design cannot be overstated. It’s a must.
Finally, use that awesome branding and invest in a good website. There are simple solutions for church plants (http://CloverSites.com) that take the hassle out of having a good web presence. Get your location, times, staff, and about page rocking and then send everyone you meet to the site. Get cards printed up with your site on it. Put it in your email signature. Grab a Twitter page with your URL (e.g. XYZChurch.com = @XYZChurch). Do the same for a Facebook page. Get a web presence started immediately and push your community there. Chances are you won’t have a building right away, so let the online sphere serve as your collective “gathering space.”
Hope that helps!
What would you add? What churches have you seen with a great brand that extends across multiple platforms (i.e. website, Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc.)?
