How often have you heard someone in your community say they wish they had known about a church event?
Sadly, many churches work long hours to put together events for their members and the unchurched. But, they don’t put those events on Facebook.
Simply adding church wide events to Facebook could boost awareness and attendance. After all, it’s the biggest social network in the world. Why not use it to help your church?
Take Advantage Of Facebook Events
According to Facebook, 35 million users view a public event every day on the site. While you probably won’t get 35 million people to RSVP to your church’s event, your odds of boosting overall event attendance is much better.
Facebook Events are free to setup and monitor. When you make an event public, it’s easy for Facebook users to find it. They’re then able to say whether they’re interested, definitely going or skipping it. It’s even good to use with your existing members to get a good idea of how many people are coming.
There’s a reason 61% of event planners use social media to promote events. It’s effective. Do the same with your church to see better results. Sometimes it’s hard for churches to think of themselves as businesses. However, even as a non-profit, you’re still a business. Other businesses use Facebook for their events to boost attendance. After all, what do you really have to lose from at least posting the event?
Start Hyping Events Early
It’s vital to start hyping any event early. For instance, start teasing your events on Facebook several months in advance. If you’re doing a special Christmas service, start sharing posts about the musical guests that are coming. Or add a picture of volunteers building sets. Not only are you getting your event out there, you’re giving Facebook users posts to share, which further advertise your event.
Encourage Members To Share
You don’t have to just post an event and hope for the best. Instead, encourage your members to share the event on Facebook too. When your members list that they’re attending or interested in an event, they’re able to share that with friends and family. Obviously, this helps non-members see the event and they’re more likely to attend when they know their relative or friend is attending too.
Add Details To Your Website
Sometimes when people see church events on Facebook, they’ll also check your church’s website for more details. While you should put as many details on the event page as possible, add all the details to your church’s site too. Plus, it’s a way for interested people to learn more about your church. If they like what they see, they’ll be more likely to go back to Facebook and register their interest in your event.
Consider Facebook Ads
Using Facebook Events on its own is an effective strategy. However, it’s even more effective when combined with Facebook Ads. The only real problem is you have to have the budget to use this method. The cost to run ads depends on a number of factors, but generally, even the smallest budgets are able to use Facebook Ads to promote their events.
Facebook even suggests that non-profits specifically should utilize ads to help boost awareness of local events. For instance, if you want to only reach people in a specific city or community, use an ad to target just that demographic. You’re able to not only get your events on Facebook, but ensure local people see the event.
Facebook makes it incredibly easy to turn any church event on your Facebook page into an ad. When you’re trying to help the community or reach the unchurched, spending a little could yield massive results. Think of the ad costs as just part of the cost of putting together the event.
The more ways you spread the word about your church events, the more people who’ll attend. Make sure you’re using Facebook and your church’s site to promote your next event.
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