The colorful lights are up, festive music fills the air, Christmas movies are playing and shopping centers are decorated with lights and trees! Christmas is here! And, with Christmas comes a great opportunity for Churches. Christmas Eve services are one of the most attended services of the year, especially with people who do not normally go to Church.
While many people normally go to Church on Christmas Eve, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will be coming to YOUR Church. So, how can you get the word out to people in your online and local community? Here are some great digital ways.
Website and Social Media
Your church website and social pages like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great platforms to get the word out about everything your church has planned this Christmas season. Create Facebook events to spread the details on Facebook, but make sure you have those events highlighted on your website, as well. Share photos and video teasers of the different Christmas activities and events. On Facebook you can also "boost" your events and posts to reach a wider audience.
Email Newsletters
Send out dedicated email newsletters focused just on what is happening this Christmas season at your church. Make sure you provide all of the details for those special services like candlelight services, kids Christmas plays, Christmas Eve celebrations etc. Share event timing, locations, links to digital tickets (if any) etc. Promote these newsletters on social media and your church website so more people can stay connected.
Online Event Calendars
Submit your Christmas events to local online event listing calendars. These include local newspaper listings, public radio/TV stations events, community digital calendars or Facebook Groups, and online directories. This increases your reach for your events to many more people looking for local Christmas activities.
Run Online Ads
Google Ads are great any time of year. They can be especially helpful for your Christmas worship schedules and events. The same can be said for Facebook Ads. You can narrow targeting to zip codes near your Church for very specific promotion. These paid digital ads allow you to get more visibility among people searching for events, those looking to reconnect spiritually around the holidays or anyone simply seeking a local church community.
Text Notifications
People check and open text messages more than any other email or form of communication. That is why, if you have people's cell phone numbers (make sure they have willingly given you their numbers), you can send them text messages about important Christmas events and updates. If you don't currently have their cell numbers, make an announcement at Church about it or send out an invite via email encouraging people to sign up for text message updates. Then you can send out a text once a week or prior to an event reminding people about it or any last minute changes. Keep the messages short, relevant and timely.
Conclusion
There are a variety of ways you can get the word out about your Christmas events and services this year. Digital ways are very effective and can be a creative way to do that this holiday season. Try them out this year and see how God uses it for you to reach more people for Christ.
What do you think? What are other digital ways you can get the word out this year? Share your ideas below or on social media.
This blog is brought to you by Gloo: YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE. Connect to people, partners, content, funding opportunities, and more—to help you achieve your goals and change more lives. SIGN UP FOR FREE.
Join the Being the Church, Digitally Facebook Group. To learn how to be more effective using digital tools for your ministry join the group. We share tools and digital trends to see how we can reach more people for Christ with these tools.
Looking for a Coach or Guide to help you with social media and other digital ministry tools? Take this quick survey and connect today.
Comment