Good Graphics Are Golden in Social Media

Grabbing one’s attention when marketing in the sea of social media posts can be a daunting task. However, it’s not impossible.  It is where good graphic design is important, and everyone is now a designer. 

“If you’re in a business, you’re in the business of graphic design,” says Camille del Rosario of DesignPickle.com.

More details about this can be found in the following video:

Thankfully, there are easy-to-use programs out there to assist even the self-professing non-creative type in their attempt to create and include good graphics with their social media posts.  Canva is a great option, including free option for beginners. Canva provides templates and background photos to help create post-worthy items such as flyers, bulletins, infographics and online brochures. 

Another option that I have personally found helpful is the Word Swag app for my cell phone.  I have been able to create numerous social media posts using their pre-made templates and background textures and photos in mere minutes.  Like Canva, the Word Swag app also provides the option to include my own branding and logo in what I’ve created, helping my posts look consistent and professional.

What draws you into reading a social media post further?  Think about the last post you read and the graphics it may or may not have included – did they influence you?  Do you have a go-to program that you use for social media graphics not mentioned in this blog post?

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Facebook:

“How to stand out in the sea of social media? Good graphics can help. Read more at: https://bit.ly/3S9xl9F”

Twitter:

“Good Graphics are Golden in Social Media. Read why at: https://bit.ly/3S9xl9F”

Everyone’s a Chef Thanks to Social Media

When was the last time you cooked using a printed recipe card or opened a recipe book for instruction?  Think about it.  If I were a betting person, I’d bet that you reached for your phone or computer for that recipe.  Social media and it’s easy-to-navigate content at hand has changed the format of the family recipe box.  “A study of 2,000 adults found that 71 per cent of people have “gone digital” in the kitchen with 23 per cent getting their cooking ideas from Facebook and 21 per cent from Instagram,” says Lucy Brimble in her article from Independent.co.uk.

Recipes can be found on all sorts of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and even links provided on the limited characters Twitter allows for its posts.  View the informative video below included in this post that states, “More than half of people have tried a recipe they saw on social media.”

And when it comes to promoting a recipe, photos and videos are key influencers.  “It’s no surprise social media continues to influence people’s habits in unexpected and unique ways, including food trends. What we found enlightening was the importance of photogenic foods and how that has impacted the rise in popularity of foods like figs,” says Karla Stockli, CEO of the California Fig Advisory Board who are also responsible for this infographic.

The hashtag #foodporn, used across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest, also makes is easy to find what others are having for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack – meaning everyone can showcase their culinary efforts and achievements.

So what’s for dinner tonight at your house?  Something you’ve seen online?

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Facebook:

“What’s for dinner at your house tonight? Something you’ve seen online? Read why there’s a good chance of that: https://wordpress.com/post/algonquincollegesocialmedia.wordpress.com/126066”

Twitter:

“Social Media has changed the family recipe box and here’s why: https://wordpress.com/post/algonquincollegesocialmedia.wordpress.com/126066”

Facebook Funerals: A Virtual Option

During COVID, our family experienced the passing of several loved-ones. While the grief remained normal, the expression of the funerals did not.  We were introduced – unwillingly at times – to the “online” funeral.  This was due to several factors affecting us at the time including travel bans and limited in-person gatherings.  Our family looked to a connecting factor among all of us for ways to ensure our loved one’s passing was acknowledged and remembered well:  Facebook.  Here’s what we learned:

Facebook Links the Majority of Us

We quickly realized that the majority of the friends and family of our loved one were already Facebook users.  This is no surprise as Google tells us, “With nearly 3 billion monthly users, Facebook is inarguably the largest and most popular social media platform in the world.”

Source: DataReportal, accessed online Sept 29, 2022

Facebook Provides Connection Amid In-Person Restrictions

Via Facebook LIVE, we were able to witness a funeral service from a different province than where we reside.  And during that live-stream, we were able to comment in real time our condolences and general statements which alerted others of our presence. We found it comforting to see certain names from our past, as well as current friends and family members, express not only their condolences but also posting photos and sharing stories of our loved one through the years.

Facebook Was an Easy-to-Navigate & Frugal Option

All of our interaction on Facebook was FREE.  We also found several free resources to help guide us in how to announce the death online, creating a Facebook Memorial Page (including the do’s and do not’s), as well as step-by-step guide to live-streaming a funeral, as shown in the YouTube video below.

We found our experience to be both unique and satisfactory. Have you experienced a funeral via Facebook?  Is it something that now interests you based on the points raised above?

Twitter: The Facebook Connection: In life and in death. https://bit.ly/3dWgMjK

Facebook: Can’t Gather? No Problem. Facebook gives new solutions to funerals. https://bit.ly/3dWgMjK

Three Benefits of a Church’s Pastor Engaging in Social Media

There are many different factors that go into someone deciding upon a church to attend including timing and location.  But the general vibe and atmosphere of a church also influences a person’s decision point.

Having your church congregation online is an incredible way to create a vibe and atmosphere, if done well, and should be encouraged. However, having the church Pastor online brings about another layer of familiarity and authenticity to a church. As shown in the infographic below by The Barna Group, Pastors are increasingly believing in the importance of social media to their church’s ministry.

Here are 3 reasons why I feel a church’s pastor should be regularly engaging in and utilizing social media:

1. The Pastor’s engagement online gives the church a personality.

The pastor using social media creates a space whereby the church is more human and accessible, dispelling the myth that pastors are inaccessible to the general public.  By being open and authentic online, which could look like posting their own photos, events and musings, brings a “face” to the church even before actually meeting face-to-face.

A pastor’s online presence also gives a glimpse as to what the preaching might be like as well as the overall tone of a church community. 

2. Social media familiarizes the Pastor with their community’s current cares and concerns, and vice-versa.

It has been my experience as a Pastor, that by keeping up-to-date on posts on my Facebook Neighbourhood Groups, and even following locals on Twitter, that I stay in-tune with issues and factors affecting my community.  It has helped shape my sermons as well as overall responses by our church.

Pastors can also use social media to direct people to their church’s website for more information and providing neighbourhood needs, i.e. community services they offer such as food bank, volunteering, etc.

3. Social media can be an extension of your current pastoral ministry.

Some people feel they can be more vulnerable online vs. in person.  It has been my experience that many people – particularly those with a more introverted personality – are more willing to share their cares and concerns in a private direct message on Facebook.  A pastor who is willing to minister on social media brings the church online’s presence from that of broadcasting only (i.e. the posting of church events), to a place of interaction and engagement.  Please see the video below by The Gospel Coalition with regards to “using social media as an extension of your platform.”

How about you?  If you were actively searching for a church family to be part of, would having a pastor actively posting on social media positively influence your decision on checking out their church?