Social media is awesome in so many different ways as it allows you to engage, inspire and inform people of what is happening. This is particularly true for churches. Churches can use social media to really make an impact in their community. But there is one social media network that is still underutilized among churches: YouTube.
YouTube is one of the best platforms to reach the market of 18- to 49-year-olds. On average, 80 percent of 18- to 49-year-olds will watch a video on the platform each month. That demographic is a key, primary target audience every church seems to be going after. In addition, it’s the second largest search engine behind Google.
These stats alone provide a great reason why your church should have a presence on YouTube. YouTube provides an amazing opportunity for you to reach people in a very digital world that you may not be able to reach otherwise. That is why you can use YouTube strategically to both reach your community and get information out to those who already attend your Church.
Did you know that people will often check out your church online before they come to an actual service? In this digital world, before they step foot into your church building, they will check out your website and social media channels first. One great way for them to see what an actual service is like is by watching a video—either live or on YouTube. That is why it is so important to create and have videos up on your church’s YouTube channel.
Here are some of the videos you can share that will help you reach your community and get information out to regular church attenders.
Share sermons.
This gives people an opportunity to hear what your pastors sound like and if their style meshes with them before they visit in person. This also provides people in your church an opportunity to review and listen to any message at any time. So whether it is sharing the whole sermon or clips highlighting points or Scripture this can be a great follow-up for your church attendees or a great first impression for those looking for a church in the community.
Share services.
Not only can you post your whole service online after it is over, but there is now YouTube Live where you can live stream your services directly to YouTube for people to watch. This provides a great outreach opportunity for people who are watching videos on YouTube to discover your services LIVE, and engage with them in the moment.
Share promotional videos.
If you are doing a new sermon series or highlighting an upcoming event or trip, create videos and post them on YouTube. If you tag your video strategically and use accurate keywords, it will get discovered. From this, people might be interested and tune into an older sermon video or service you have up on your YouTube channel. It is also a great way for your church attendees to share these videos with their friends.
Share highlights of past events.
Older videos of past events from your church provides people a great opportunity to discover how your church is involved in the community. When you post a video, tag it appropriately so it can be discovered when people search for similar videos.
The experts will often share about why you should share a video on Facebook because of how many people are on the platform. While it is quite impressive and you should use Facebook, as stated above, YouTube has some very unique advantages that cannot be dismissed. The more you can post, the better opportunity you have for attendees to stay connected and share about what is happening in your church. And, you have a great opportunity for others to discover more about your church as they search. YouTube has real value and can be a great digital tool your church uses.
[bctt tweet=”YouTube has real value and can be a great digital tool your church uses. ” username=”orange leaders”]
How have you used YouTube and seen it help you connect with your regular church attendees or helped you reach out to the community? Share your thoughts and experiences.
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https://orangeblogs.org/orangeleaders/2018/03/23/measuring-success-social-media/
