Running social media campaigns over Advent and Christmas

Understanding the difference between Organic and Paid social media campaigns

• Organic campaigns are the posts you publish for free on your social media accounts. These posts are seen primarily by people who already follow your church’s accounts, or those who interact with your posts, via shares, likes or comments. Organic campaigns are great for building community, encouraging engagement, and sharing regular updates about your events or services.
• Paid campaigns, on the other hand, involve paying to promote your content to a wider audience beyond your followers. This allows you to target specific groups of people based on location, age, interests, and more. Paid campaigns are particularly useful when you want to reach people who may not be aware of your church or events but are likely to be interested.

Examples

• Organic post: "Join us this Sunday at [church name] for a candlelight service at 6 PM as we celebrate the season of Advent. All are welcome!"
  • Share this with a photo of your church being decorated inside.
• Paid ad: A targeted ad promoting your Christmas service to people within a 10-mile radius of your church, who are interested in community events or religious gatherings.
  • Share this with a photo of people in your church during a service.

Setting up a paid social media campaign

For churches looking to maximise reach during the Advent and Christmas season, paid social media ads on Facebook and Instagram can be very effective, even on a small budget. Below is a simple guide to set up your first campaign.

Setting up your Facebook Business Manager account

• Create a Business Account: Go to Facebook Business and follow the instructions to set up an account for your church. This will allow you to access Facebook Ads Manager, where you’ll create and manage your ads.
• Connect Instagram: Make sure your church’s Instagram account is linked to the Facebook page if you plan to run ads on both platforms.

Choosing your campaign objective

• In Ads Manager, click Create to start a new campaign.
• Choose the goal of your campaign. For churches, the following objectives could work well:
  • Engagement: Increase likes, shares, comments, or messages about your post.
  • Event responses: If you are promoting a Christmas event, like a service or concert, this option encourages people to RSVP.
  • Traffic: Direct people to a website. For example to sign up for the Hush the Noise reflections.

Targeting your audience

This is where paid ads stand out from organic posts - you can specifically target people in your area who are most likely to be interested in your church and events.

• Location: Use the location filter to target people within a certain distance of your church, e.g. 5 to 10 miles.
• Demographics: You can set age filters if certain events are more suited to particular age groups, but for a Christmas service, it’s a good idea to keep the audience broad, e.g. ages 18-65+.
• Interests: Target people interested in topics like “Christianity,” “Christmas,” “Community Events,” or even “Advent” to make sure your message reaches the right people.

Setting a budget

You don’t need to spend a lot to make an impact. You could start with a budget of just £50 and select whether you want to spend this amount daily or over the lifetime of the ad.

• Example: If you spend £50 over a two-week period, Facebook could show your ad to around 1,000–3,000 people based on their ad reach estimates.
• Tip: Focus your budget on days when you expect more traffic, such as the weekends or the days leading up to a major service.

Designing your ad

Create an engaging ad by using high-quality images or videos. Facebook allows you to use a combination of visuals and text, but make sure your message is clear and concise.

• Ad text example: “Looking for a moment of peace this Christmas? Join us for a special candlelight service at [Church Name] on Christmas Eve. All are welcome. Find out more at [website link].”
• Visual suggestions: Use an image of a candlelit church, or if you’re using a video, a 15-second clip of the minister giving a warm welcome to the community.

Scheduling your ad

It’s a good idea to start running your ads 2-3 weeks before Christmas. This gives people time to see your post, plan ahead, and share it with others.

Monitoring and optimising

Once your ad is live, use Facebook’s analytics tools to track engagement, reach, and performance. If you notice certain audience groups are responding more than others, adjust your targeting to focus on them.

Managing a low-budget campaign

If your church has limited resources, it’s still possible to run an effective paid campaign. Here are some tips to maximise your budget:

• Start small: Begin with a budget of £50 and track the performance. Adjust the ad settings if you see good results or need to optimise your audience targeting.
• Focus on specific events: Rather than advertising everything at once, promote key services, like your Christmas Eve service, to draw more attention.
• Focus on locality: Keep your audience tight and local. Instead of trying to reach a large geographical area, focus on those who live or work close to your church.
• Try different audiences: Split your budget across multiple small audiences to see which responds best. For example, you could target families for one ad and young adults for another. Think about using different content for different audiences, based on their needs.
• Track results: Once your campaign is over, look at the data. Facebook and Instagram offer analytics tools to review your ad performance. Look at metrics like engagement, reach, and clicks to see if your investment is generating interest. Did people mention seeing your ad when they attended services?

Creating effective content

Engagement is crucial for both organic and paid campaigns. Here are some ideas to get people excited about your church services and the Hush the Noise campaign:

• Use visuals: Post pictures of your church decorated for Christmas, or use short videos that show glimpses of your events or services.
• Promote daily reflections: Encourage your audience to sign up for the Hush the Noise Christmas reflections, starting from Christmas Eve to Epiphany. Include a link to www.methodist.org.uk/HushTheNoise in your posts.
• Share the Christmas film: The Methodist Church in Britain will be releasing a Christmas film, along with shortened versions for social media. Share this ad and ask thought-provoking questions such as “What does Christmas mean to you?” or “How can we find peace in the busyness of the season?”
• Incorporate the theme in your own events: Share content that reflects the theme of Hush the Noise by creating posts that highlight quiet, reflective moments at your church. For example, post an image of a quiet moment in the sanctuary with the caption, “Our church is a place of peace this Christmas—will you join us?”
• Highlight local events: Create specific posts or ads to promote local services and include details such as dates, times, and what makes the service special. For example“Bring your family and friends for a beautiful evening of carols by candlelight”.

Using social media to make an impact

Running an effective social media campaign, whether organic or paid, can make a big difference in how people engage with your church during Advent and Christmas. Use these tools to help build a sense of community, invite people into moments of reflection, and increase the impact of your service and events.

Remember, social media is a conversation. Encourage people to engage by liking, sharing, and commenting on your posts. With clear messaging, a small budget, and meaningful content, your church can make a lasting impact this Christmas.

Final Tips

• Be consistent: Post regularly throughout Advent and Christmas to keep your audience engaged.
• Monitor engagement: Use Facebook and Instagram analytics to understand what’s working and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Focus on community: Encourage people to comment and share their own experiences of the season.