You all know the season often brings new visitors into your doors, but what you shouldn't overlook is that it also brings new visitors to your church's social media pages.

Christmas is just around the corner and with it comes a great opportunity to use your social media successfully! You all know the season often brings new visitors into your doors, but what you shouldn't overlook is that it also brings new visitors to your church's social media pages. 

Here are 5 social media must-haves for your church this season:

1. @ChurchforChristmas

If you haven't already, the holiday season is an especially good time to make sure your church's "about me" sections on all of your social media pages are up-to-date and carefully crafted. Work to use as few words as possible while still clearly stating the mission and vision of your church. Be prepared for your online holiday traffic by making sure first-time social connections are getting an immediate look at what your church is all about. 

2. #TheReasonForTheSeason

Create some holiday buzz and excitement for your congregation, and catch the attention of your community, by creating a holiday hashtag for your church. Creating a hashtag that is unique to your church provides a way for your congregation to feel connected and included. It also gives you the ability to better engage online by tracking who is using the hashtag and where and when they are using it. Make sure your hashtag is unique and easily recognizable. For example: #ChristmasAtCommunityChurch  

3. #PhotoCred

Include images with your tweets and Facebook posts. Let the community see how your church celebrates the holidays! Do you have special decorations you put up for Christmas? A New Year's tradition? A yearly staff party? Show the life and celebration that is occurring at your church! And always, always make sure you're using high-quality images. 

4. @PastorDan

Make sure your staff members are pushing users to your church's main social media pages whenever they post about church events on their personal pages. i.e.: Instead of just saying, "Hey everybody, my church is putting on a Christmas play tonight!" They should be saying, "Hey everybody, @churchsname is putting on a Christmas play tonight!" Little changes like these will bring people to your main page ... then hopefully to your website ... and eventually to your front doors. 

5. #Retweets4Days

Along with asking staffers to provide clear links to your church's main social pages whenever they reference church happenings or events, you can also encourage all your staffers, and even your volunteer groups, to retweet and share your holiday posts. This allows you to cast a broader net and perhaps catch the attention of a user who might not otherwise stumble across announcements of church or community-wide events you're putting on during the season!