Report of the Social Media Manager

Sister Tracy N. Lewis

In 2022 the social media engines of FIBC continued at a strong pace with vibrance and growth, and I continue to applaud the changes made to date, knowing that more work still lies ahead. Great strides were made in reaching the church WIG and social media WIG; however we fell short in some, and achieved in others.

FIBC Goal – “… and a 10% increase in online viewers each week by December 1, 2022.”

Social Media Goal –

“Increase social media engagement across all of FIBC’s current platforms, not including Instagram, by 20%, and increase Instagram engagement by 50% by December 1, 2022.”

*Averages established by data collected from April-June 2022

10% increase by New Average Goal Average Live Views 932 92 1,024 Average Total Views 5,293 529 5,822 Average Engagement 22,060 2,206 24,266

*Averages established by data collected from July-December 2022

Variance to Goal Result Average Live Views 4,507 3,584 EXCEEDED GOAL Average Total Views 4,173 1,121 Did not meet Goal Average Engagement 10,291 11,768 Did not meet Goal *in order align results with the church-wide goal, this data set only includes Sundays. A larger breakdown of all live events and services, with segmentation, can be provided upon request.

Results Analysis

• The average number of people watching a worship service live when we were live (average live views), increased steadily between July and December, with the lowest months in July and December, and the highest in September and October. The lower numbers follow a historic attendance trend. The higher numbers speak to engagement around the Pastoral and Church Anniversaries celebrations. • The average number of people watching at any time (average total views), increased in August and September, and was lowest in November and December. The lower numbers toward the end of the year can be attributed to both historic attendance data, the holiday season, a shift in returning to in-person, and adjustments related to the pandemic. • Despite strong online content and a robust social media calendar, engagement was strongest in May and was lowest in November. Paid placements and engaging campaign creation during the spring yielded opportunities for engagement. In November, a lot of the content was engaging but did not necessarily need a response from the user. • The smallest audience growth was seen on Facebook, which is considered a legacy platform, where our audience is older and more established.

• The largest audience growth was seen on Instagram and YouTube, which is considered our emerging platform, where we are seeing new audience trends and attracting more nonmembers, with unique content. • Paid placement advertising throughout the year provided boosts at points in time to views and engagement but did not necessarily provide long-term growth. This speaks to the need to have more beyond the event for someone responding to an event advertisement.

Recommendations

• Strong ideas and content creation across all platforms, including paid placement netted results. Continue strategically planning content, but target on each platform. What works on Facebook, will not work on Instagram. • Seek growth opportunities and paid placement opportunities on platforms like Instagram and TikTok where younger individuals are engaging with content creators. • Generate new content sources that speak to current social media trends, wants and needs, including influencer-style content. • Shorten the length of social media campaigns and content, recognizing the average user spends less than 30-seconds reading a post or watching a video. • Provide more paid placement advertising opportunities that speak to overall church growth and not just specific events and/or services.

Overall, our social media content is vibrant, robust and saw high engagement for a church of our size and congregation age. Our greatest strengths include idea creation and execution and a collective understanding of the importance of a strong online presence. Our greatest weakness remains the age of our congregation and content sources that do not speak to current online trends. Our greatest opportunities include the use of more emerging platforms that speak to a younger demographic and the creation of influencer-style content. All of these areas played a key role in the growth we did see this year in our online content. As long as we continue to function with a growth mindset, be willing to try new ideas and concepts, with the understanding that not all are going to work, and not allow complacency or a lack of movement in some channels to deter us, we will continue to see growth gains in our online content and engagement.

It is always my goal to be a servant-ministry to FIBC and the community, supporting and assisting in any way possible; "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10: 43-45 (NIV)

Humbly Submitted | January 22, 2023

Tracy Nicolle Lewis

Social Media Manager “The best marketing in the world, doesn’t feel like marketing at all.”