Given the season, churches have to be creative and intentional in our communications and marketing efforts to engage with our congregations and community!
The summer months are such fun! Kids are out of school and many of us break our routines to enjoy time off, travel and other new adventures.
So what might you plan for the summer months? Consider these ideas ...
1. Offer meaningful summer opportunities for kids and students-and promote them all at one time!
Families want to share meaningful experiences with their kids and students this summer - and they need to get these items mapped out because of their busy schedules. What experiences will you highlight for families looking to serve/volunteer, grow and connect with others this summer? Consider: getting families to volunteer at your food pantry, support VBS, or be part of playdates/popsicles in the park hosted by your church.
Comms/marketing pro tip:
As you're promoting these opportunities for kids, students and families - connect these events together under a "summer offerings" banner that you'll promote all together. Encourage busy moms, dads, grandparents and other caregivers to see what is happening overall for the summer and make plans/RSVP to be involved.
2. On-the-go devotionals/podcasts/Bible studies - give options for people on the go and people at home too
While people are traveling, at the pool or even doing yard work, they actually might have more time than usual to engage with meaningful content! This is a great season to offer devotionals through a daily FB Live with your pastors, promote your church's podcast, or do a church-wide Bible study that people can access online anytime. For people on the go, you're giving them many options. For people at home, the summer could be a great time to participate in the church-wide Bible study with a group that meets on someone's back deck each week.
Comms/marketing pro tip:
Talk up the various options for content and growth that you are recommending for people this summer. Keep it handy for them to access quickly as they have time through a weekly text message, your church's app or through social media/Youtube.
3. Share encouraging content online + everybody loves a game or contest!
People are busy in the summer - but it's typically a different kind of busy. They're wrapping up work to head out on vacation. They're hurrying with chores to get to the pool. There is also hardship and concerns at times - and you want to engage with the people of your church and community to both celebrate and support them this summer. We believe providing meaningful and fun content online can be a great way to stay connected with your congregation and community all summer long whether they are local or all over the world!
Comms/marketing pro tip:
Map out your online social content and sharing for the summer! What meaningful content will you share and point people to for learning, growth and inspiration? (Reference #2 above for more ideas.) In addition, bring on the summer fun through your social content by starting a game or contest that people can participate in! Ask fun questions related to summer each week! Ask about: favorite vacation spots, favorite summer footwear, favorite ice cream, etc. Anyone who comments or tags others to join the conversation gets entered into a weekly drawing for gift cards to Dairy Queen or Culver's for ice cream!
