Why can’t my church get likes on Facebook? [What people seek on social media]

What was the last app you checked or website you visited? More than likely, it was one of your social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Clubhouse, and others continue to capture our attention. Americans now spend more than 2 hours per day on social media! Despite the increased eyeball time, church leaders continue to ask, “why can’t my church get likes on Facebook?” (Or whatever social media makes you want to pull your hair out in frustration.) 

Let’s take a step back and consider why people turn to social media, and how you can leverage that insight for your church’s social media presence

Ultimately, you seek to invite potential guests and to minister to all. Below you’ll learn what people are doing (and seeking) on social media, why it makes sense to get beyond the “likes” on Facebook, and why it’s worth it to seek out to root causes of what’s not working. 

What people spend time with on social media

Think back to the last time you spent leisurely scrolling through your favorite social media app. What did you do? 

More than likely, you spent time with content that helped you in some way. When reviewing research done in 2020, these four themes rose to the top. Check out the list below that summarizes what people hope for – and expect – from their social media experience.

1. People want to spend time on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. 
2. Accounts that create content that resonates with people attract followers. 
3. Account followers expect the content they see to help them in some way. 
4. When people post comments or send messages, they expect the account to respond and be real. 

Notice how the findings point to a give-and-take experience on social media. They want to spend time in that environment (more time, in fact) and follow accounts with great content. They also expect the accounts they follow to create content that helps them and responds in a real way (i.e., conversationally, not like a robot). 

Content that helps them. Responding authentically. This sounds an awful lot like what God created the Church to do! Spread messages that provide help and hope. Talking with people and developing relationships. 

Knowing this, you can start to move in the direction of going beyond likes to how you can merge what people seek on social media with your church’s overall mission and goals. 

Old question: Why can’t my church get likes on Facebook?

New question: How can we best leverage Facebook?

Nowhere in your church’s mission or vision statements will it say, “We seek to get likes on Facebook.” 

Those statements vary from church to church. Essentially, as a part of the “Big C” Church, we are all commanded, through The Great Commission, to spread the gospel, baptize new believers in the name of Jesus, and disciple one another. 

What does that have to do with why your church can’t get likes on Facebook? 

Facebook, and social media in general, give churches the potential to reach more people than ever before, engage them in ways that encourage and educate them, and invite people back, again and again, to retain them as a part of a community of believers. 

Those invitations drive both community growth and discipleship. They align with inviting new people to your church and encouraging time together to worship, small groups, or fun activities. 

Your church’s social media posts can and should do all of these things. Your posts should support one of the most important messages of all time – in a way that works well within that social media environment. 

Essentially, you have two objectives to merge: 

• Capture people’s attention and interest where they spend time – on social media. 
• Create content that encourages engagement and guides them to the next small step that ULTIMATELY supports your church’s mission. 

What’s the first step to merging these two objectives? It’s looking at your current posts and profiles to see what’s working, what’s not, and what needs improvement. 

The Social Media Audit

A social media audit takes you through the process of a holistic look at your account and the content posted through your social media audience’s eyes. You’ll review everything in terms of those you seek to engage and how that aligns with your church’s goals.

Next week’s post will cover the framework for a social media audit – and how to overcome the common obstacles that keep people from getting it done.