{"id":741038,"date":"2021-04-15T05:00:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-15T10:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=741038"},"modified":"2021-04-16T06:03:45","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T11:03:45","slug":"7-essential-steps-for-creating-a-social-media-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/7-essential-steps-for-creating-a-social-media-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Essential Steps for Creating a Social Media Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have ever sat in a planning meeting for a ministry event, you’ve probably heard someone say, “We need to promote this on social media.” This usually means that you’re expected to craft a few Facebook posts or Instagram stories, cross your fingers, and hope for the best. Then the event happens, your social media had little effect, and you begin to doubt the power of social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem of course wasn’t your event or even your social media content. The problem was you didn’t think through an actual social media campaign that would have helped you create goals, get to know your audience, and create realistic measurements.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, I’ll walk you through seven essential steps to creating a social media campaign. You obviously will want to tweak them to meet your situation, but these steps should help you create an effective social media campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Create a Set of Goals<\/b><\/p>\n

Your campaign starts with a goal or set of goals. Your goals essentially state what you want to accomplish. Goals help define what you’re actually trying to get done. At the end of the social media campaign, if you’ve accomplished your goals, then you’ll be able to show your results.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to create goals, you need to learn how to create them in a way that’s effective. Here\u2019s an easy way to create effective goals using the S.M.A.R.T. methodology. Using this methodology, you should create goals that are:<\/span><\/p>\n

Specific<\/b> – Goals can\u2019t be generic. If you created a goal that said \u201cWe want more social media interaction.\u201d, then you\u2019ve left yourself open to a whole set of questions about which social network, how you define interaction and what actually constitutes \u201cmore\u201d? The more specific the goal, the more likely it will be that you understand your target.<\/span><\/p>\n

Measurable<\/b> – If you can\u2019t measure your goal, then you\u2019ll never know if you accomplished it. Goals require some sort of wording that clearly demonstrates whether or not this goal has been met. If you can\u2019t measure it, then you won\u2019t know if you\u2019ve met the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attainable<\/b> – Some of us are start-eyed dreamers who love to create lofty goals. Trust me, we need those people. However, we also create goals that can actually be met. If we don\u2019t do that, then we can waste precious time and effort striving towards something that we know deep down, we\u2019ll never accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Realistic<\/b> – While the goal needs to be attainable, it also needs to have a bit of realism to it. There needs to be a sense that this goal will stretch you and your team. You need to be able to accomplish this goal, but you also need it to be a goal that will really push your team to get better in order to reach it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time-Driven<\/b> – Goals need to have a due date. Without a due date, a goal can last forever. Goals need to be driven by time. When you assign a goal a due date, you communicate the urgency behind the goal. A time-driven goal forces everyone to kick it into high gear to meet the deadline.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your social media campaign needs to have a clear S.M.A.R.T. goal.<\/span> For example, your goal should look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of October 2021, we will obtain 400 new likes on our church Facebook page.<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal is specific and measurable because we know we\u2019re referring to our Facebook page and we\u2019ve known exactly how to determine if we\u2019ve met the goal (400 new likes). It\u2019s time-driven because we know that we have until then of October 2021 to meet the goal. Is it being attainable and measurable? Well, that depends on your church (however, I think your church can do it).<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Establish a Unique Value Proposition<\/b><\/p>\n

Every minister thinks their ministry is special. I\u2019m not being condescending when I say this. I understand that if you\u2019re pursuing your passion then you\u2019ll be inclined to believe that you\u2019re on “a mission from God” (Blues Brothers, anyone?).<\/span><\/p>\n

However, your audience might not see it that way. It\u2019s not that they don\u2019t care about your specific ministry or call to action. It\u2019s that they don\u2019t understand how it\u2019s any different than the other hundred messages that are flooding their email inbox or Facebook news feed.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re creating a social media campaign, you need to determine what is unique about this campaign.<\/span> Here are some questions to think through:<\/span><\/p>\n