Are you considering adding Instagram to your Social Media strategy? I think doing so is an excellent idea! Instagram is a powerful way to connect with your friends, parishioners and members.
An article written by Brad West and recently posted on catholictechtalk.com highlights the effectiveness of Instagram and the steps required to get started! I’m posting the full article here in the blog, but if you want to visit catholictechtalk.com, just click on the link!
Come and See: Getting the Most Out of Instagram For Your Parish
When it comes to social networks most of us look at the major ones . . . Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, etc. But have you considered adding Instagram? Two things I can imaging you saying to yourself right now is:
1. We don’t have the time or resources to add anything else
2. Big deal, Instagram lets you add filters to photos and share them
On the surface, it doesn’t seem like a “big deal”. But the one thing we forget is that if you look at your Facebook stats, photo posts most likely rank way up there with the highest level of engagement. Therefore, Instagram can be a huge compliment to a parish’s social lineup. Here’s some stats for them that are pretty impressive and from my personal expereince I am seeing a huge growth among the younger generations as active users.
According to Instagram, as of the writing of this post, they have:
130 million users
16 billion photos shared
1 billion likes daily
45 million photos per day
Ok, so how can you get the most out of Instagram for your parish? Here’s how:
1. Sign up for a PARISH Instagram account on a mobile device through the app. I recommend using the same extension you use for other profiles such as Twitter and Facebook (i.e. instagram.com/yourchurch, twitter.com/yourchurch, facebook.com/yourchurch, youtube.com/yourchurch, etc.).
2. Update the profile with your parish branding
3. Add the Instagram icon to your website
4. Set up to share to your parish Twitter and Facebook PAGE – Make sure to go through the steps to share to the page.
5. Use and take photos (or short videos if you have a device compatible with Instagram’s video capabilities) to enhance the message you are putting out. Not only will it catch more attention you’ve also shared it on another network. You don’t have to take a lot of photos either.
6. Tag the location in your posts to highlight your parish or location of the photo.
7. Assign a hashtag to events and encourage others to take photos on Instagram and use the hashtag. Make sure to search the hashtag and “Like” photos others have posted.
All in all, it’s one the best social compliments for parishes. It’s a means to take otherwise bland messages and liven them up and it’s a means to encourage participation and and events a little more fun and memorable.
Are you using Instagram for your parish? What’s been your experience?