Social Media is quickly changing the way people interact with each other and the transformation is really incredible. 

It has grown so fast because it meets a basic need - to connect with other human beings.  No longer do we have to write, call or email to keep in touch.  Now we can create a group of people we want to connect with and be updated automatically.  It is also quickly becoming a force for churches, allowing them to connect more intimately with their members and prospective members.

On this page I'll cover Facebook.  There are a number of other ones but clearly for most people in the U.S. Facebook is the largest with over 350 million users.

I think it is important that you first determine what your goals are for Facebook.  You can have multiple accounts, a personal account (Mike Vitamvas  www.facebook.com/vitamvas), a group and a fan club.  I go into details about how to set each on this page.  Here I'd just like to talk about the potential power of FB.

The power of Facebook is its ability to connect people together.  People who have lost touch with each other can now connect on a daily basis.  Personally I've got friends and people I admire from all over the world and I love getting updates from them.  I'm following friends who are in the mission field and it is wonderful to know the intimate details of what they are doing. 

This ability to connect can be used by your church or non-profit to bring members closer to each other and start engaging with new people.  What will happen in time is that people who don't attend your church will start to feel connected because they know what's going on at the church.  They will no longer look at the church as a place that holds nothing for them but as a place that offers hope and strength as well as practical help and friendships.

For this to happen you'll need to not only post the activities but also communicate the personal aspects of your church.  People connect with people so when you are posting make sure you convey the emotion not just the events.  Pictures and videos are a great way to this.  The videos don't have to be professionally produced.  Anyone with a flip video or iPhone can create videos that will convey the spirit of the church.  Keep the videos to a couple minutes.

Once you have your page up let church members know and ask them to  become a fan.  Also ask them to repost any information from the church that they want to pass along to their friends.  This will give your church the ability to reach a large number of people, some of whom will start following what your church is doing.

The number of people that you can reach is pretty amazing.  If you have 100 members on Facebook and they repost your message to their 300 friends you just got your message out to 30,000 people at no cost. 

People ask me how often to post.  I think that depends on the size of the church and what all is going on.  I recommend 3 - 4 times a week as a minimum.  Consider having several people posting.  You might have a youth minister or counselor, someone involved with children, worship and someone from the evangelism committee.  The goal is get people to feel connected to your church.

If you would like to discuss ideas on how to use social media please complete the form below.

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How to create a fan club page

Starting a fan club is pretty easy.  First you have to have a personal account set up.  Once that is set up click on this link and you will be taken to the Facebook page to start the set up process.  Name the fan page.  If available give it your church name, then select religious organization.  Congratulations you now have a fan club.  Next you'll want to start putting in content.

Fan clubs

Now you are ready to set up the pages.  The Wall should be the first tab to set up.  Click on the settings and allow fans to post photos, videos, links and comments.  If you get your church members involved this page will become an important element in reaching out to your community.  Posts, pictures, videos that church members put up will show on their pages giving additional exposure to events going on at the church.

The next tab is the info page where you can put in your website, mission and other information.

There are two other standard tabs, photos and discussions.  Next to that is a plus sign which will give you other options.  The ones you will want to select are video and calendar.  This will allow you to post all events that are going on at the church and also videos.

Tips for creating a Fan Club Page

Creating a fan page is the optimal way to represent your church on Facebook because it is the most viral way to spread your message. When someone becomes a fan that information is posted on their wall, exposing your church to their friends too. Moreover, when fans interact with the Fan Page, stories that are linked to your page are passed on to their friends via News Feed. One of the most valuable features is that churches can send "updates"  to fans and your church becomes even more visible.

Fan Pages also pass along more SEO credit because the pages are public. Since logins are not required to view Fan Pages, search engines can index the page. The page can receive facebook.com link credit. When social networking platforms, like Facebook, are linked to your church's web page, the Fan Pages can channel more visitors throughout the network.

Lastly, Facebook Fan Pages are easy to set up and manage. Facebook Fan Pages also give you access to data that can be used to reach people online. This information is extremely valuable in connecting with your community.

5 Tips for Interacting on Fan Pages:

1. Be Authentic: Start a relationship with visitors.

2. Provide interesting content: Frequently update content so updates constantly appear on walls of members.

3. Tell your story: Share what is going on at the church and testimonials from people who have been impacted by the power of God.  Consider doing short videos of people who's lives have been changed.

4. Control your page: Clearly state your policies somewhere on the page so your site does not get spammed.

5. Get a vanity URL: help with branding by putting the church  name right in the web address.  You will need at least 25 fans before you can apply for a url that looks something like this: facebook/groupname.  To apply click here.

Facebook has some more helpful information on their site.

              

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If you are not sure if your church should get involved in social media take a look at the video below.