I’ve started looking at ways churches can use social media to market their church online and reach others for Christ. One of the areas social media has really exploded over the last several years is video sharing. With websites like YouTube and Tangle.com, Internet users have found a place where they can share videos, be they funny, informational, outrageous, or uplifting, and people have taken to video sharing and viewing shared videos like a dog to a plate of bacon.
We’ve been looking at ways churches can use social media to market their church online and reach others for Christ. In my last article I talked about the benefits of online video sharing as an online church marketing strategy. In this article I’ll give several ideas for videos.
Video Ideas:
Sometimes churches have some difficulty thinking of videos to share. Here are 13 ideas for videos:
1.
Post sermons: You pastor is giving the sermons every week anyway. Why note record them and post them online? (Note: YouTube and other sites have limits on the length and size of videos. So,
you may need to break the sermon up into parts. YouTube limits are 10 minutes and a file size of 1 GB.)
2.
Post funny videos: Funny videos have the added benefit of being potentially viral. If the video catches on, it could be viewed by millions of people.
3.
Post commercials: If your church has commercials they are airing on TV, put them online as well.
4.
Personal testimonies and interviews: Remember, one of the thing people love about video sharing is people being real. Personal testimonies are the perfect example of videos of people being real and are a great way for viewers to connect with your church on an emotional level.
5.
Conference speakers: Does your church present conferences or special guest speakers. Just like the pastor’s sermons, you can post these messages online.
6.
Highlights of upcoming events: Let people know what’s coming up at the church, like an online commercial.
7.
Highlights of recent events: Similar to the commercial of upcoming events, showing highlights of recent events can show people what your church is like and show them what they missed (so they don’t miss it next time).
8.
Artists (drama, visual, musical, literary): Does your church have artists in the congregation? You can produce videos of these artists whether it’s drama, visual arts, literary readings, musical performances, etc.
9.
Spiritual and Christian life related messages: A lot of people are looking for spiritual guidance and information. You can produce videos about various topics such as “Christ in your marriage” or “The end times”.
10.
Informational non-church videos: Don’t limit yourself to just church and Christian topics. The members of your congregation have a lot of information they can offer about “secular” and everyday topics such as “10 ways to save on your electric bill” (brought to you by Christ the King church in Auburn or whichever church you attend). This is a great way to reach out to people who would not normally look for a church, exactly the people who we should be focused on with our church marketing.
11.
Video used in your church services: Does you church use videos during the services. Why not post them online?
12.
Commenting on current events: This can have the benefit of using the pop culture and hot topics of the day to reach more people. But be careful of divisive issues, such as the political topics. I’m not saying you can make a political statement, but you risk turning people off your church and the ultimate message of your church, Jesus Christ. Remember, Christ died for Republicans and Democrats alike.
13.
Video Contests: Have a contest for youth or some other group to create videos about a particular subject or about the church and then post the videos. This can be a great way to make several videos, get the congregation involved, and have a great time.
These are just some ideas to get you started. Be creative. Most churches have tons of creative and talented people in their congregations. Creating videos can be a great way to get those people more involved the church.
In the next article in our series about using social media as an online church marketing strategy, I’ll look at ways you can increase the effects of your church’s video sharing.
