Page 6 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
LEADERSHIP
Your Congregation Needs a Website
6 WINTER 2021
PRESBYTERIAN
presbyterian.ca
By Barb Summers,
Associate Secretary, Communications
On October 4, Internet users around the world were startled, annoyed and even frantic over a global service in- terruption to Facebook and its sub- sidiaries like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. For up to six hours, millions of users were affected by the outage, for both personal and busi- ness interactions.
The outage brought to light how much we have come to rely on so- cial media. Recently, I’ve noticed that some congregations have also ob- served the rise in popularity of social media platforms like Facebook, Ins- tagram and Twitter, and have decided that their congregation should have a presence on social media. I’m en- couraged to see this kind of interest in new outreach activities. However, some congregations have been con- sidering social media platforms as a potential replacement to a congrega- tional website altogether, even going as far as to question why they should bother continuing (or would start) to pay for and maintain a congregational website when social media platforms are free and easier to maintain for those who are already familiar with them from their own personal use. I know of several businesses in my own community that have gone this route and conduct all promotional and engagement activities through Facebook. But rather than seeing so- cial media as something to replace
a congregational website, congre- gations should be looking to social media as something that can extend the effectiveness of their website and overall online presence.
Whenever I give workshops on websites and social media, I often like to say that websites are infor- mation and social media is conver- sation. They offer different ways of connecting with people that can work well together. It’s important to remember that websites and social media platforms are not the same things. They are different tools, which do different things, and have different strengths and weaknesses, and, as such, should be compared separately. It doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. In fact, a great so- cial media presence is often fuelled by a strong website and vice versa.
Before you take on the challenge of developing a social media pres- ence for your congregation, consider your reasons for doing so. Not long ago I helped a congregation set up a Facebook page. In our discussions, I learned that they felt that being on so- cial media would be their method for reaching and engaging with youth, believing that it would help bring more young people to their weekly worship services. I didn’t know how to tell them how incorrect this think- ing is. If only it was that easy!
Never mind that online engage- ment doesn’t necessarily equate to Sunday morning parishioners, the situation on who uses social media
is changing all the time. Facebook claims they have nearly three billion active monthly users, and while it’s generally considered the biggest so- cial media network worldwide, there are strong indications that trends are shifting. In addition to anti-Facebook campaigns, like “Quit Facebook Days,” that have popped up in re- sponse to a variety of concerns like how Facebook handles user data and the discouraging amount of un- verified false news that circulates, recent research showed that in the 12–34-year-old age group, 32% identified Facebook as the platform they use the most. This is down con- siderably from the 58% reported only five years ago. In fact, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat were all down in primary usage, but the “Other” category was notably up (Edison Research and Triton Digital, 2020).
Social media can be a fickle friend. With more and more variety in the social media scene, it becomes harder to choose which platform is best to reach your target audience. Other organizations feel this pressure as well. Even at the national office, we are active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Instagram, but we are always looking to expand to additional channels. It can be over- whelming.
Social media can be a wonderful way to connect with people. You can share important information, receive valuable feedback and feel a greater
sense of community. However, too frequently I see congregations take on the task of having an active, dy- namic digital presence, only to have it fizzle out in a few months. With the rate of speed that things are shared online and the vast quantity of it all, you need to have a consistent, valua- ble presence. A social media content calendar can help keep you on track, as well as a clear mission statement and realistic goals (just watch out for getting overly focused on your stats). You need to post consistently with informative content to make it onto people’s feeds.
A goal of creating a dynamic social media presence is a good one, but before any social media endeavours, I encourage congregations to build and maintain a strong website, which will form the backbone of all online activities. These days, there is often an attitude that if something doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t exist. Don’t fall into that category.
A website should be your foun- dation for ensuring people know about your congregation. And I fully acknowledge that there are difficul- ties to building a good website. It doesn’t take long for content to be- come outdated, arguably doing more harm than good. This is a problem I’ve come across many times when browsing Presbyterian websites. Remember, a website is not an ar- chive—there is no reason to still have the picnic lunch from 2011 fea- tured on your website’s homepage. What kind of message does that con- vey to newcomers? The content on your site should be current, relevant and accurate.
I understand the challenges that congregations are often confronted with in maintaining their websites. Too often, there is not enough staff or volunteer power to keep a web- site up-to-date and maintain a strong online presence. Budget may some- times pose a problem as well. Curat- ing content from the appropriate peo- ple can be another hurdle.
However, if you’re struggling to keep your website populated with the
latest news and events, remember that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to ensure the basics are available. Web- sites are most useful to those who are considering visiting your church and are looking to learn a little more about its ministry. (Your regular con- gregants already know where your church is located, where to park and what to expect.) So, make sure your website is newcomer-friendly (so try to avoid using inaccessible church lingo!), has current information and answers general questions a new visitor may have. Yes, that will take some initial effort. But it is effort that could help someone decide whether or not to visit your church.
Now is the time to ensure you have a strong website. As more and more people engage with churches elec- tronically, invest in sitting down and taking a careful look at your website. Do you have the following key—but far too often missing—elements on your homepage? And are they easily available to find with no clicking and very little scrolling necessary?
• Church name and location. Many
churches fail to mention their city or town. When so many of our church- es are named “St. Andrew’s” or “Knox,” you can see how this could be problematic for someone doing online research before visiting in person.
• A welcome message with a wel- coming photo. Featuring a nice, high-quality photo of your church with front doors open wide, a group photo of smiling faces or a recent photo of a church event or activity is an opportunity to convey a warm and inviting presence.
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