This case study highlights how we supported a local church in managing their social media presence through strategic content planning and pivoting during the pandemic to maintain engagement and growth.

PROBLEM:

This client, a local church, had been facing challenges in consistently maintaining their social media presence. They understood the importance of digital engagement to connect with their congregation and reach new people, but they were struggling with creating a strategy that would encourage consistent growth and engagement across their platforms. They needed a plan that would maintain the connection with their existing congregation while also appealing to potential new members.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the church had to quickly pivot their strategy. With in-person gatherings being restricted, they needed to find new ways to engage their congregation online and offer live-streamed weekend services while keeping their social media presence strong. The challenge was to adapt to the evolving situation while continuing to grow and maintain their audience.

METHOD:

We collaborated on a strategy that allowed the church to stay connected with their community and reach new followers. Here’s how we tackled it:

1. Social Media Management
   We took over full-service management of the church’s social media channels. This included planning and scheduling posts, managing interactions with followers, and tracking engagement metrics to ensure growth. We developed a content calendar to maintain consistency and help organize our approach, ensuring the church’s posts were timely and aligned with their mission.
2. Content Creation
   We focused on creating diverse, engaging content that spoke to both the spiritual needs of the congregation and the church’s values. This included:
   • Graphic Design: We designed branded social media graphics for posts and stories, keeping the visuals fresh and aligned with the church’s identity and current series.
   • Copywriting: Writing engaging captions, calls-to-action, and informative updates for all posts.
   • Photography & Video: We coordinated with volunteer photographers to capture high-quality images each month. We also handled photo and video editing to create polished, engaging content that resonated with the audience.
3. Pivoting During the Pandemic
   As the pandemic continued, we adjusted our strategy to engage the congregation in new ways. We made sure to:
   • Stream weekend services live on both YouTube and Facebook to ensure the congregation could participate in real-time.
   • Implement weekly Instagram Lives, which allowed for interactive sessions and real-time engagement with followers.
   • Focus on video content to foster deeper connection, making the church’s services and messages more accessible to those at home.
4. Consistency and Engagement
   By keeping a consistent posting schedule and engaging actively with followers, we were able to foster community online, even as in-person interactions were limited. Our focus was on creating a welcoming and inclusive online environment that encouraged followers to stay engaged and connected.

RESULTS:

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the church’s social media presence experienced impressive growth:

• 200% increase in Facebook video views
• 58.3% increase in Instagram followers
• 3,932% increase in YouTube video views

These results demonstrate the power of a well-executed social media strategy that adapts to changing circumstances. By staying consistent and relevant, we helped the church maintain its presence and connection with its community, even during a time of great uncertainty.