I may follow you on social media if…
- You are very intentional about how many times you ask me to give, register, watch or visit. People and companies bombard me for my attention from the time I wake up until I go to bed. The last thing I want is over the top advertisement from my church. It’s very obvious when churches only try to force me to hear the message they are offering. Church communicators should pick up the book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk. I also wrote a blog post about the book: Going Viral: 10 Strategies to Get People to Listen to, Engage and Share Your Message. Trust me, if your church is great I will find you.
- You listen to what I have to say. I will tell you when I want to read and engage with your content. I will let you know what I like and what I don’t like. You may think something is cool but that’s not good enough. It’s about what I want. I’m the customer. Please stop ignoring me. Stop ignoring my comments. Start answering my questions. I’m speaking–just look at your analytics. Dave Kerpen, author of likeable social media puts it this way, “The guy on the first date who talks incessantly and does not listen strikes out every time. Same goes for the company that spends most of its marketing talking and little listening.” It takes me less than a second to unfollow you; make me feel like I matter.
- You tell the story of what is happening at your church in an interesting way. Seth Godin loves to say, “Authentic stories spread and last.” I agree with that comment. I am willing to listen to authentic stories when they stand out from all the other noise. This takes courage; it means being bold enough to create one post that actually says something meaningful rather than 10 other posts that do not say anything. I particularly love stories that involve my family. I also love reading stories from my church about who we are and more importantly, where we are going. I want to be part of what is happening at church and I will tell others if I think we are making a difference.
- You share content that positively affects my family. A packed out church probably gets you excited. I’m all for growing our church, but I’m probably a little more concerned about whether or not my teenager is growing closer to Christ. If I have a problem with an issue that is causing friction in my marriage than I would probably take time to read a post about the solution. I think about paying for my kid’s college, so tips about finances may be beneficial for me to read. If you would like to find out some specific details on how to share content that will help my family, check out this interview with the NewSpring Social Media Team. They seem to be getting it right.
I will follow you when you have done everything possible to capture my heart. Then, when you do ask me to do something, I will remember all you have done to inspire and encourage my family and I will not refuse. Do I sound selfish? It’s my time, and I only give a small percentage of it to social media. You can use it to connect me to the life of the church or not. I hope you do.
