Back in 2018 .Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta said “the Stories format is on a path to surpass feeds as the primary way people share things with their friends sometime next year.” That was back in 2018! While we may or may not be there yet, the reality is having your Church or ministry in the Story feed and at the top of peoples news feeds is extremely valuable.
Stories are not new. They have been around since October 2013 when Snapchat updated their platform. It was a major upgrade that Snapchat users loved! Because of its popularity, Instagram released their version Stories in August 2016. Then, in March 2017, Facebook released Stories.
So what's the value? Why should your Church or ministry be posting to Stories consistently? Simply put, when you post to Stories on Facebook or Instagram you keep your Church or ministry at the top of the News Feed. And when you are on the top of the Feed, you are the first thing people see when they open Instagram or Facebook. That keeps you on the top of peoples minds. They see your Church's branding and have the opportunity to click on and see what you are posting about. And this is important because the likelihood of your Church being discovered on a Facebook or Instagram newsfeed is really low. It is all based on the algorithm so you are not guaranteed that people will see your posts.
Being on the top of the news feed has other advantages, as well. At the bare minimum people will see your Church logo. This is brand awareness. It is important because if and when someone is thinking about going to Church, they will think about your Church. Why? Because they kept on seeing your Church's logo on the top of the newsfeed in Stories. So, when they are ready, your Church will come top of mind and they will come check out your Church.
It is important to remember that Stories only last 24 hours. That is why it is so important to post consistently. You do not have to share everyday but the more you post throughout the week, the more likely people will see you Stories and click on them. Consistency really matters.
Posting to Stories consistently throughout the week keeps your Church at the top of the newsfeed and at the top of peoples mind. When you are at the top of mind, they will remember you and how they have been encouraged by you in the past. Which will hopefully cause them to want to come back or keep going back to your Church. .
What do you think? How have you seen posting Stories consistently help your ministry? Share your ideas below or on social media.
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