5 Social Media Tips for Your KidMin

Mark 16:15 says, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

With over 3.6 billion users worldwide, social media allows us to “go into all the world” in powerful and far-reaching ways. Churches and ministries that use social media well can create new and effective avenues for discipleship and sharing the gospel.

But how do we do that?

1. Be safe – We do our best to keep kids and volunteers safe when they walk through our doors, and we have to work to keep them safe online too. Consider creating a social media policy for your children’s ministry that addresses how staff and volunteers should interact with and through social media, and do your best to maintain safety and integrity when posting online. 
2. Be where your people are – I have some good news for you: You don’t have to be on every social media platform known to man, and not every social channel is the right fit for your ministry. When thinking about what and when to post, ask your ministry families where they hang out online, and focus there. You don’t have to be everywhere on social media. You just have to be where your people are. So find out where that is, and start there.
3. Be real – Authenticity is essential for social media. You have to know where your people are, but you have to know yourself too. Your social media strategy must match your identity as a leader and as a ministry. That means it’s OK to have fun with your social media accounts – after all, isn’t fun a key part of children’s ministry in person too? Try to use pictures from your ministry (as opposed to stock photos or graphics) as often as you (safely) can. And let your social media accounts be a conversation, not a digital bulletin board, so make posts that encourage interaction, not just reminders about upcoming events. 
4. Be consistent – You don’t have to post frequently, just consistently. If you’re posting 1-2 times a week, that’s great! Keep it up. If you’re posting 1-2 times a day. That’s great! Keep it up! No matter how often you post, work to post with the same consistency over time. The easiest way to do this is by setting up a schedule for your daily or weekly posts on social media. On Friday, we’ll share a free social media planner template that will help you map out a whole week’s (or month’s) worth of content in less than an hour. 
5. Be present – It’s called “social” media because its original purpose was to help people be social online. So when people like or comment on one of your posts, respond to them. Ask questions that get people talking and encourage them to keep the conversation going. Don’t just post and walk away; engage! 

Want to dig deeper into formulating an effective social media strategy for your children’s ministry? Check out our brand new online training: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Social Ministry Strategy for Your KidMin. In this training, we’ll unpack each of the steps above in detail and help you make a plan for using social media effectively with your kids and families. Learn more here.