Social Media

Communications Toolkit (book)

Social Media

Communications toolkit
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Church of England Social Media community guidelinesResources

Social media can be an incredibly valuable way to communicate within our communities, chaplaincies and across the wider diocese.  It is also a very useful place to establish and build on relationships ecumenically and with other relevant organisations and charities.  However, it is vital to ensure that you have a considered approach to using it.  The Church of England have published some guidelines which are important to adhere to, and which can also be a great place to start in terms of practically considering how you manage your social media accounts.  You can read them below or find them here on the Church of England site: 

This section is aimed at empowering chaplaincies to do just that, from the practicalities of using a social media channel, to ensuring you have some agreed principles in place.

 

Church of England Social Media community guidelines

Our community guidelines have been created to encourage conversations that reflect our values. They apply to all content posted on the national social media accounts run by the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York.

Social media is a very public way of enabling us as Christians to live out our calling to share the good news of Jesus Christ. One of its many joys is that it is immediate, interactive, conversational and open-ended. This opportunity comes with a number of downsides if users do not apply the same common sense, kindness and sound judgement that we would use in a face-to-face encounter.

While written specifically for all users who engage with the Church of England’s and Archbishops’ national social media channels, these guidelines are built on universal principles. They are a resource for Christians, people of other faiths and people of no faith. Dioceses and local churches across the Church of England are welcome and encouraged to adopt them.

By engaging with the Church of England and Archbishops’ social media accounts, you agree to:

  • Be safe. The safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults must be maintained. If you have any concerns, ask a diocesan safeguarding adviser.
  • Be respectful. Do not post or share content that is sexually explicit, inflammatory, hateful, abusive, threatening or otherwise disrespectful.
  • Be kind. Treat others how you would wish to be treated and assume the best in people. If you have a criticism or critique to make, consider not just whether you would say it in person, but the tone you would use.
  • Be honest. Don’t mislead people about who you are.
  • Take responsibility. You are accountable for the things you do, say and write. Text and images shared can be public and permanent, even with privacy settings in place. If you’re not sure, don’t post it.
  • Be a good ambassador. Personal and professional life can easily become blurred online so think before you post.
  • Disagree well. Some conversations can be places of robust disagreement and it’s important we apply our values in the way we express them.
  • Credit others. Acknowledge the work of others. Respect copyright and always credit where it is due. Be careful not to release sensitive or confidential information and always question the source of any content you are considering amplifying.
  • Follow the rules. Abide by the terms and conditions of the various social media platforms themselves. If you see a comment that you believe breaks their policies, then please report it to the respective company.
 

Resources

 

Filming & Photography

Obtaining consent before filming or photographing individuals within a chaplaincy setting is a fundamental ethical and legal requirement. In Europe, individuals have the right to know how their images will be used and for what purposes. As such, clear and transparent communication is essential when seeking permission, and individuals should be made aware of their rights in accordance with GDPR.

GDPR Compliance: The General Data Protection Regulation 2018, has set a robust framework for data protection across the European Union. When it comes to filming and photography in chaplaincies, GDPR compliance is crucial.

The diocese strongly advises chaplaincies to become familiar with and to comply with their local counties laws. Using local law as the primary guidelines. 

However, here are a few considerations:

  1. Purpose: Clearly define the purpose for capturing images within the chaplaincies premises. Whether it's for promotional materials, documentation, or any other purpose, specifying the intended use ensures compliance with GDPR's principle of purpose limitation.

  2. Data: Collect only the data necessary for the specified purpose. Avoid capturing more information than required to protect the privacy of individuals featured in the visuals.

  3. Security: Implement adequate security measures to protect the captured data. Whether stored digitally or in physical form, all images and footage must be safeguarded to prevent unauthorised access.

  4. Data Subject Rights: Respect individuals' rights granted under GDPR, including the right to access, rectify, or erase their personal data. If an individual requests removal of their image, the chaplaincy should comply promptly.

  5. Consent: Maintain a systematic approach to consent management. Keep records of obtained consents, detailing the purpose, date, and method of obtaining consent. Regularly review and update consents as needed.

GDPR compliance in European chaplaincies demands careful attention. By adhering to the principles of informed consent and GDPR, chaplaincies can not only capture the essence of their community but also demonstrate a commitment to respecting the privacy and rights of individuals.

Striking a balance between capturing content and legal responsibility ensures that the capturing stories within Diocese in Europe chaplaincies are shared ethically and responsibly.

 

Creating and administering a social media account

In 2020 Statistica reported more than 60% of people in the UK have a social media account. Creating a page or profile for your church is completely free and presents an opportunity to reach new people within your local community.

Learn how to create a new account for your church below:

Creating a new social media account

Choosing a profile name

If possible, use the same profile name across all your accounts so that it is easy for your community to find you wherever you are present.

Login and contact details

When creating a new social media account, use a general church email*, rather than a personal email, as the login and main contact details.

*This rule does not apply to Facebook, where each editor or admin needs their own personal Facebook profile.

First impressions count

The images and words you include on your profile or page will give a lasting impression on your community. Use words and phrases which make everyone feel welcome, avoiding churchy phrases, accompanied by friendly images, to give the best first impression.

Sharing the new account

Once set up, share the news with your community. Talk about it during services and events, and update your website and newsletters with the link.

Keep it up to date

Posting at least once a week will keep your profiles and pages looking fresh and the church open. 

 

For further details and guidance for specific platforms please visit the Church of England site from which this extract is taken.


 

 
 

Getting started with Social Media

Looking after your chaplaincy social media channels is an exciting opportunity, helping your chaplaincy support its community and reach new people. We know there will be a lot for you to consider, especially if you are new to the role, so we have put together a list to get you started in the best possible way.

Create a plan

A simple and clear plan will look at want you want to achieve, and how you are doing to do it. Your chaplaincy may already have a digital plan in place, however if you don’t have one, this is one of the first things you will want to do.

Take a look at this Church of England blog on how to create a social media strategy

Understand your digital audience

It’s important to have a defined audience in mind when you are creating your content, as this will help you create relevant, helpful and interesting content for your social media platforms.

Take a read of this Church of England blog on understanding your audiences on social media. 

Track your progress

Your analytics will provide valuable insights to help you to create an online presence that is responsive to your audience, and able to adapt and grow as the social media landscape changes.

Some of the key analytics that you can track across your channels are:

  • Reach – the number of individual accounts your content reached
  • Impressions – the total number of times your content was seen by anyone
  • Engagements – Likes and reactions, comments, replies, shares, retweets and video views.

In each of these areas look for the posts that performed the best, and the ones that did not. Refine your plan by looking for trends that may be emerging from month to month and look at how can this help you going forward.

Track these statistics on a monthly basis to help build a picture of how your online presence is growing.

Writing for the web

The words we use are important to help us communicate effectively with our online audience, and they will need to adapt depending on whether you are writing a social media post or something for your website.

The Church of England have written a blog on how to tell your church’s story through short-form social media copy

Keep up to date with social media developments and trends

As the social media landscape changes frequently, keeping up to date will help you maintain a successful online presence to serve your community and raise the profile of your chaplaincy.

The Church of England have a few resources to help you with this:

Policies you will need to know

Safeguarding Policy

It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure the protection of children and vulnerable adults online and offline and spot the warning signs for those who may be experiencing abuse or online bullying.  Familiarise yourself with the Diocese in Europe Safeguarding Policy and who to contact if you have questions or concerns.

 

Seven ways to raise the visibility of your church community online

We’ve been keeping an eye on some of the trends impacted by the pandemic - one of which is the move towards hyper-local communities. The Global Web Index (GWI) reported this at the beginning of 2021, saying now more than ever, people want to walk to work, meet local friends and feel connected to their neighbourhood.

Where do people go when they want to find something locally? Most likely straight to a search engine or social media. So, how easy is it for local people to discover your church community?

Before we address this, let's consider what they might be searching for. As much as we might hope, not everyone will search for a local church – some will – but others might be looking for something more specific. This could be a toddler group, friendship café, wedding venue or free debt advice, all of which may be operating within the church building or run by its community. How can you make sure your church is easily found for these things, as well as church services?

1. Update your A Church Near You (ACNY) page

Did you know that A Church Near You received 77 Million page views in 2020 and 80% of viewers were there for the first time?

ACNY is the Church of England’s church finding website, connecting people with their local worshipping community. Every church within the CofE has a page on the site that can be customised for its community, giving every church a free and secure website. Oftentimes, a church’s ACNY page will come up on the first page of a google search, so, is your page up to date?

Adding events, contact details, pictures and a warm welcome message will create a friendly impression to new visitors. Learn how to become an editor of your church’s page in our simple guide.

2. Create or update your Google My Business listing

One of the easiest ways to be found on the search is to put yourself on the map – literally. Google My Business is a free tool that lists your church on Google maps along with web addresses, images, descriptions and contact information. Adding this information will make it easier for anyone to find you, and an up-to-date profile may encourage someone to click on your website to find out more. Include details of your service times, activities, projects and groups to help your church show up in relevant searches in your area.

Google My Business is easy to set up, and you only need to update it a few times a year, if that. Also, it’s free!

Find out how to set up Google My Business here.

3. Update your website homepage and content pages

Next up, your website – take a look at your homepage, do you mention your village, town, borough or city? Is the name of your area in the web address? Adding local details onto your homepage and in the website address will help it appear in relevant searches in your area.

A good example of this in practice is St Peter’s Church Brockley. The web address uses the location – https://www.stpetersbrockley.org.uk/ and the homepage of the website has a picture from the local area too, making it feel part of the community.

Many of you may be using A Church Near You as your main church website. Did you know you can create your own unique website address (URL) and redirect it to your ACNY page? Learn more about how to do it here.

Next, take a look at your website content. Earlier, we spoke about the importance of considering what people might be searching for in your area. If they are searching for a parent and toddler group, they may search for ‘parent and toddler groups near me’. If your church runs a group, make sure the details are on your website, alongside any projects, activities and groups your church runs. 

St Peter's have created web pages for the key projects run by the church such as the food bank, dance classes, and weekly services. So, when searching for dance classes in Brockley, the church appears on the first page of the search, and the same when searching for Foodbank in Brockley. These small additions have made the church visible online to the local community.

4. Create a Facebook event

Alongside your website, your presence on social media will go a long way to reaching your local community. You can read more about creating social media profiles for your church here, but we are going to focus on Facebook events here.

Facebook events are a way for your to list your events on Facebook’s events calendar for anyone to see – think of it as a billboard on your local high-street - online.

To find events on Facebook, go to your Facebook app, click on the menu, and then events. You’ll see that Facebook groups events that are local to you as This week, Online and those that your friends are interested in.

If your church has a Facebook page, you can create an event linked to the page - learn how to in this blog. Fill in as much detail as you can, remembering that people who have never been along to your church will see it, so avoid words that may not make sense to those outside your community - or include a short explanation.

Once your event has been created, share the link with your friends, click the button that says you are attending, and invite your church community to do the same. This will help the event reach further online.

If you are part of local Facebook groups, share the event there too! For example, local families may be looking for a toddler group, so let them know yours is on by sharing the event listing with the group.

5. Add a location tag to social media posts

Social media posts can be searched by topic but also by location. Adding a location to any post on social media will let everyone know where the post is taken from, but also users will be able to see it amongst all the posts shared from that location.

For example, adding your village or town as the location for a post on Instagram will mean your post will show up for anyone who searched for that location = free advertising! What’s more, according to Sprout Social, posts using location tags get 75% more engagement which simply means more people will see the post on social media.

After you’ve got location tags sorted on your social media, why not explore who is posting in your local area? Find local people, businesses and charities, follow their profile and like or comment on their posts. Build your church profile as a local friendly, sociable community by being more interactive online.

6. Use local hashtags

Hashtags are used on social media to group topics and conversations and are searchable, enabling users to find a post that has used the hashtag without following the account. Typically, posts on social media that use hashtags receive 70% more likes and 392% more engagements (Agorapulse).

Hashtags should be included in the caption of a post by using the # symbol followed by a word or short phrase. Learn more about using hashtags in our recent blog A guide to Hashtags for churches in 2021. 

Any word can be a hashtag, but location-based hashtags are useful for churches raising awareness in their local community. 

Use the name of your town, village, borough, county and neighbouring areas as a hashtag by writing the # symbol followed by the word.

For example, #Norwich, #Norfolk, #NorfolkBroads and #NorfolkUK.

Alongside these, use local hashtags commonly used in the area.

By searching #Norfolk on Instagram, we discovered: #NorfolkLife, #NorfolkLiving and #NorwichUniversity, which may help the post be seen by Norfolk residents and University students.

7. Join local Facebook groups, and be sociable

Facebook groups are a place people can gather and share interests, experiences and build community online. Making it a great place to get to know others in your local community.

To find local groups:

  1. Log in to Facebook
  2. click Groups found in the menu
  3. use the search bar to type in keywords such as your village, town, city, or borough
  4. Browse the suggestions and join any that are relevant.

Once you are in, be sociable. It’s an opportunity to meet more people in your community but the group is not a place to advertise every single event or service run by the church. Instead, answer questions, start helpful conversations, join in the fun, and, when relevant, share an invite to an online or onsite event. In doing so, you'll become a trusted and valued member of the group, and in turn, you’ll build the reputation of your church community too.

With so many opportunities to use free advertising and simple tactics, every church can establish an online presence which is visible to the local community. 

Liz Morgan
Church Digital Champion

Links to other resources you might find helpful

(These links will take you to external sites)

How often to post on your church’s social media channels

How your church could use TikTok to reach young people

How to get started with a scheduling tool: Meta Business Suite (Facebook and Instagram)

Making your church social media more accessible

As part of the national church ‘Digital Charter’ launched in 2019, you can also find further suggested advice about how to operate on social media in a Christian context here.

Case study

How one parish embraced digital and reached more people in their community

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