For some time I’ve been pondering how I can be more effective as a communicator in the age of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Everything I read says that in order to reach people in today’s world, I need to be more nimble with social media. As a member of the baby boom generation, this does not come as naturally to me as it does to a younger person. I have to claw my way through the electronic jungle.
So I’m working to come up with a “social media strategy.” My primary goal is to reach people through social media to draw them to our church. I’m especially targeting younger families who communicate exclusively online. This is how we do evangelism today.
Through my accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I hope to establish an online voice that leads people to our parish website where they can be introduced to St. Antony’s. Our website is like our front door, and we want to present an attractive front door that people will enter. Ultimately we hope they will come through our physical front door and join us in worship and fellowship.
The content of my posts will be photos and text. Now that I have an iPhone (yes, I know it took me a long time), I can capture moments of our church life and post those photos quickly. A good photo speaks volumes, and in today’s fast-moving world, photos are all we have time for. So I need lots of good photos that tell a story.
I also want to be a “thought leader” in my posts by articulating the feelings and thoughts of our times. There’s nothing so authentic as a local person who is able to give voice to what’s on our minds and hearts. I hope to do this in my posts on this blog, which I am re-naming, “The Vicar’s Brain.” It’s a way for people to know what I’m thinking.
As I endeavor to become an online presence, I hope you’ll help me by “liking” and sharing my posts. The power of social media is through the scale of re-posting, where a single post can be magnified by those who share it with their friends. Thanks for your help!