This post is part of the Series on Social Media in Youth Ministry. If you want people to come to your Facebook page or Tumblr site, you have to offer them something that is of value to them. People won’t just magically show up, just because they’re in your youth ministry and you just launched a page. Sure, they may have a look and ‘like’ it, but will they ever come back and engage in a conversation? For social media to work, to become attractive, you need give your visitors a reason to come back. You need to enrich their lives in a way.
Let’s break this down for the three most likely target groups for when you’re involved in youth ministry:
- Youth
- Parents
- Youth leaders in your youth ministry
When deciding on what to post on your social media, keep in mind that what you post has great influence on engagement. A study done on Facebook posts revealed this:
Image posts generated the most engagement (measured by fan responses, “likes” and shares) – 22% more than video posts and 54% more engagement than text posts. Video generated 27% more engagement than text posts. (source: Bizreport)
It’s probably wise therefore to not just posts ‘text’, but create a mix of pictures, videos, text and other things.
Please note that some ideas can be used for multiple groups, I’ve generally only put them down once. I’m not distinguishing between for instance Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter right now so now everything will work for every social medium.
Youth
- Scene from popular tv show (eg Glee) with questions for discussion
- The latest viral video, provided it’s clean
- Tips for Christian music, eg via Spotify or YouTube
- Articles from Christian magazines for youth
- Links to posts on Christian youth websites or blogs
- Info on Christian concerts in your area
- Film reviews
- Pictures from events from your youth ministry (and encourage your students to post theirs as well!)
- Short posts on events after the fact
- Weekly contest, for instance make a caption or headline
- Powerpoint/Keynote presentation you used in a youth service
- Video you used in a youth service
- Music reviews with questions about lyrics
- Weekly poll on something funny (‘which sock do you put on first, left or right?’)
- Trivia questions or facts
- Birthday announcements
- Bible verses or a Bible reading plan
- Short devotionals
Parents
- Articles from magazines on parenting
- Posts from parenting websites
- Relevant research eg on the teenage brain, sticky faith etc
- Resources for ‘Christian parenting’
- Book reviews
- Pics from youth events
- Difficult question of the week: answer a real or fictitious question of the week
- Info on what you taught in small groups or youth service with suggestions for follow up at home
- Powerpoint/Keynote presentation you used in a youth service
- Film reviews and suggestions for follow up at home
- Resources on teenage culture
- Reviews of new/popular tv shows
- Reviews of popular music so parents know what their teen is listening to
- Activity calendar and notices of events coming up
- Ask questions
- Links to great sermons online
- Interviews with the youth leaders so parents can get to know them, either written or in a video
- Posts on events after the fact
Youth leaders
- Mission and vision
- Important strategic documents
- Links to interesting posts on youth ministry
- Articles from youth ministry magazines
- Discussion questions
- Small group material with questions
- Transcript of sermons, talks, etc from youth services with suggestions for follow up questions
- Notices of events coming up
- Ideas for events, retreats, themes etc and asking for feedback
- Quotes on youth ministry, leadership, etc
- Teaching videos (either make them or link to those of others)
As stated before in the post on making a social media plan, creating good content takes time. But when done right, it’s certainly worth the investment.
Do you have any other ideas for things you could post on social media in youth ministry?
