Social Networking Help for Ministries
“Back in the 90’s if you didn’t have a web site, you were irrelevant. The same was true of having an e-commerce site in 2001. That is where social networks are right now.” ~ The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 19, 2008 If you are ready to begin your ministry's outreach through social networks, or if you've started but don't know what to do next, you have come to the right place!
Friends of Ministry's new eBook, Social Networking for Ministry, will help you get started and get connected in just a few minutes.
As you probably know, Social Networks offer unprecedented opportunities to reach people who are looking for your ministry -- at no cost or very, very low cost.
More than 400 million people already are using social networks every minute of every hour of every day... and among them are people who go to your church or are otherwise connected to your ministry.
If you've done nothing yet, it's not too late to get started. If you've set up a Facebook profile or a twitter account but don't know what to do next, you, too, will find useful guidance in our eBook created specifically for Unity churches and alternative ministries.
Get this eBook now to learn:
What social networks to use
Which big social network isn't worth your time
How to get started on Facebook and other recommended networks
Which Facebook features to use
How to stay safe on social networks
How to use social networks to find dozens or hundreds of people in your community looking for what you offer
How to use twitter to inspire and inform
Why you shouldn't start your own social network for your church
Where to connect with colleagues already using social networks
How to handle inappropriate content posted by your "friends"
Why it's worth it to pay (only) one social network -- and what you get for your money
Why you need to get started now
Please note: After you complete your purchase, you will be returned to a page on this website with a link to your eBook. Be sure to download and save the eBook to your computer's hard drive. Additional Resources
The short video below is less than 2 minutes and offers a good little explanation of why social networks are such powerful tools for any person or organization seeking to connect with a wider audience. (We'd love to get rid of the Google ads attached to this video but can't; we suggest you just ignore them.)
LINKS TO SOCIAL NETWORKS APPROPRIATE FOR MINISTRY OUTREACH
Churches can and do use business tools. Watch the short video below to gain an understanding of how and why businesses are using social media, and then consider the hows and whys of using social media to increase the territory of your ministry.
CHERYL HARRISONsaid:
Staff member at one church is concerned about the amount of time needed to manage church's use of social networks for outreach.
Suggestion: Start slowly! Set up profiles at the rate of one every 2 weeks and see what response is so you are not overwhelmed.
You also can manage response partly by being conservative about what you post. At first, do not post every event and meeting at meetup.com. Post only meetings or events most likely to attract newcomers (A Course in Miracles, Reiki training, etc.)
CHERYLsaid:
Instructions for setting up a "page" for your ministry on Facebook:
Log into your Facebook account.
Scroll to the bottom of the page, click on Advertising, then on Pages, then on Create a Page. Follow instructions...
To set up a "group" for your ministry on Facebook:
Log into your Facebook account.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Facebook Applications (lower left at bottom of screen), then on Groups, then on Create a New Group (top near right side of screen).
CHERYLsaid:
Question during the June 18 webinar: Do people get irritated if they receive too many announcements about things going on?
I think yes, so be judicious in your use of the email features in Facebook and meetup. For example, if you post the same event (such as a workshop by a guest speaker) on both, send an email out only through Facebook or only through meetup.
Alternate the use of these features so you can see which is working best for your ministry.
CHERYLsaid:
Friends of Ministry now offers set-up of Facebook profiles and pages for Unity ministries.
Our new Facebook Starter Package includes setup and three months of event postings (invitations to Sunday services, group meetings, concerts and/or workshops on Facebook) for $229.
We also will integrate your Facebook page with your website to make it easy for your members and visitors to your website to connect with you on Facebook.
Some things to know:
• Last month, the number of Facebook users passed 400 million, exceeding the U.S. population. If it were a nation, Facebook would be the third largest in the world.
• Nearly all spiritual leaders and teachers are on Facebook. Just a few examples: The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Joan Borysenko, Louise Hay, Alan Cohen and Colin Tipping.
• Facebook's moves this month to integrate with other websites suggest it may be positioned to overtake Google in web search and advertising. If you want your church website to show up in future web searches, now is the time to join Facebook.
• Unity, unity.fm, the Daily Word and dozens of Unity ministires already are reaching out through Facebook. You can easily connect with them on Facebook to help (for example) Daily Word readers in your area find your church.
• More than two years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported: “Back in the 90’s if you didn’t have a web site, you were irrelevant. The same was true of having an e-commerce site in 2001. That is where social networks are right now.” It's time to catch up!
• Many churches have, in the past, used Yellow Pages advertising. As one social media expert has noted, "Social networks are like the Yellow Pages on steroids.”
While a few fortunate ministries have staff members or volunteers who have taken responsibility for their churches' Facebook outreach, many churches have not made the move to the #1 social network either because:
1) they do not yet know how important this outreach is, or
2) they simply do not have room on their to-do lists for one more item.
We understand. That's why we're reaching out with the new Facebook Starter Package.
After we give you a great start on Facebook, we'll invite you to decide whether you want to take it from there or let us continue to assist with your social network marketing.
It's easy to get started; just visit our web store to get the package. We'll be in touch within 24 hours to begin work on your behalf.
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