A New Instagram Strategy for Churches
Churches have long relied on word of mouth and in-person gatherings to build and maintain their communities. However, in the age of social media, many churches are finding that Instagram is a powerful tool for reaching new people and strengthening their existing community.
One way churches are using Instagram is by sharing updates and announcements about upcoming events, such as worship services, Bible studies, and volunteer opportunities. This helps members stay informed and connected, and it also allows non-members to get a sense of what the church is all about and decide whether they want to get involved.
In addition to sharing updates, many churches are using Instagram to share inspiring messages and quotes from the Bible, as well as photos and videos from their services and events. This helps to create a sense of connection and community, even for those who are unable to attend in person.
Some churches are also using Instagram to share resources, such as links to online sermons, devotionals, and prayer guides. This can be especially helpful for those who are unable to attend in-person due to illness, disability, or other commitments.
Overall, Instagram is a great way for churches to reach out to their community, both online and offline. By sharing updates, inspiration, and resources, churches can use Instagram to help build a sense of connection and belonging among their members, and also to reach out to new people who may be interested in getting involved.
This all sounds great and is nothing new but the problem is keeping up with what to post, when to post, and understanding if this is really worth the time and effort put into it.
At LivingStone Creative we have created an easy way to create an Instagram strategy that churches can benefit from while not taking time away from other ministry work. Here is a quick breakdown of our strategy that could help you!
Your New Instagram Strategy
Set your goal
Before we get into it we first need to understand what our goal is with Instagram. In order for this strategy to be effective we believe the goal should be based on the idea that you want to nurture your community (mostly attendees) and also attract potential new members. Sounds obvious, right? I think the difference for churches is that you shouldn’t spend time trying to get to 100K followers across the globe, but rather focus on your local community and how to best reach them.
If your goal is to become the most popular church on Instagram then this strategy probably isn’t for you.
Create a handful of strategic posts
If I had to guess, right now if you looked at your Instagram feed it would be filled with random posts, mostly the latest events and happenings. So my question is this: If you were a potential new visitor and you went to Instagram to get a feel for what your church was like, would they get a good picture of who you are by looking at these posts?
Studies have shown that young families look to social before they even jump to your website. So does your Instagram feed tell the right picture?
Your first step is to create a handful of strategic posts that tell a good story of who you are as a church. From your mission statement to posting about volunteers and small groups. Give someone a good overall picture of your community and not just what events are happening now! These posts should last a while, meaning, when you post about a dated event it becomes irrelevant after the event is over (we will share where to post these in a minute).
Now, look at each quarter for the year and create 3 posts that are specific to that quarter and pin them to the top of your feed. This could be a ministry highlight, a big event like Easter or Christmas, or a post specifically for new visitors. These will be the posts you change out every quarter, so you only have to create up to 12 posts a year!!
Bonus Tip:
If you create these posts with your church brand colors, fonts, and pictures your Instagram feed will begin to feel like a branded website with purpose!
Stories
So if you are only posting 12 times a year how to keep your current community up to date?! This is where stories come in! The majority of your followers aren’t seeing your new posts anyway… but stories are seen more and last longer if they are missed!
The first step is to create 4-5 highlights that you want visible on your Instagram feed. Things like “Events”, “Kids Ministry”, “Student Ministry”, etc. Once these are set up you can create and post stories that fall into these highlights and they will live in these highlights on your Instagram feed for anyone to view! So they not only serve your current members but potential visitors can view these as well to see even more of who you are as a church and what things you currently do.
Bonus Tip:
Stories don’t have to be as designed as posts might need to be. These can be more organic or even just a video of you or your pastor sharing something.
Strategy
Once you have those things set up, now it’s time to create a strategy on what and when to post.
Think quarterly for your posts. These should be a little easier to think about and plan as they are bigger-picture posts.
For weekly stories, create categories. These could be what your highlight categories are or any other additional things you would want your current members to know. Create a spreadsheet with columns for each category and begin filling these in with ideas. Remember these can be quick, organic stories.
Do this for each quarter and evaluate as you go!
Conclusion
Social media can be overwhelming to keep up with or even understand how to best use it for your church. We want to help! We believe Instagram could be a useful tool for your church that doesn’t have to all your time. By creating a quarterly strategy, utilizing pin posts and stories you can build an Instagram profile that communicates who you are as a church while also communicating to your current members!
Book a call if you need more help!