Social networking sites provide a powerful means of direct engagement and communication with targeted audiences. Brent S. Gambill of Martin-Wilbourn Partners, a social media marketing expert, spoke Thursday at the 2013 Baptist Communicators Association workshop on the benefits of social media outreach to Christian communicators and ministry organizations. View the SlideShare presentation to learn about the current state of social media, and how any organization can take advantage of these communication channels to greatly extend the reach of marketing initiatives.

1. Social Media Impact
Embrace Faith

2. Social Media Users
• Facebook: 1 billion users
• Twitter: 500 million users
• Google+: 400 million users
• LinkedIn: 200 million users
• Instagram: 100 million users
• Pinterest: 1 million users

3. 2012 Social Media Minute
• Facebook:
– 1.68 million posts
– 684,478 pieces of content shared
• 100,000 tweets were sent
• 72 hours of video uploaded to
YouTube
• 3,472 check-ins on FourSquare
• 120 new members on LinkedIn

4. Social Media Demographics
• 67% of Internet users on social media
• Gender
– 71% of Women
– 62% of Men
• Women use social media 9% more
than men do.

5. Social Media Demographics
• Age
– 83% of 18-29 year olds
– 77% of 30-49
– 52% of 50-64
– 32% of 65+
• 2012 saw the first drop in social media
activity.

6. Social Media Demographics

7. Social Media Demographics
• Ethnicity
– 72% Hispanic
– 68% African-American
– 65% Caucasian
• Population
– 72% of Urban Areas
– 67% of Suburban
– 61% of Rural

8. Social Media Demographics
• Household Income
– 72% making >$30k are on social media
– 65% of $30-$49k
– 66% of $50-$74k
– 66% of $75k+

9. Facebook
• 1 in 7 humans are on Facebook
• Users spend 10.5 billion minutes daily
• 500 million Likes per day
• 250 million photos added daily
• 1 out of every 7 minutes online is on
Facebook
• 50% of smartphone users connect every
hour of every day
• Jesus Daily on Facebook has over 17
million Likes

10. Twitter
• Twitter has more than 500 million users
• 120,000 tweets are posted every second
• 340 million tweets are posted per day
• 1 million new accounts are created daily
• 43% of Americans are exposed to tweets
from traditional media
• 53% of users have recommended
companies and products on Twitter

11. Other Social Networks
• Pinterest is now the third most popular social
network (79% female, 21% male)
• LinkedIn is the top professional social
network in the world
• YouTube has over 4 billion hours of video
watched each month
• Google +1 button is used more than 5
billion times per day to share content
• Instagram has had over one billion
photos uploaded

12. Mobile
• Out of 6 billion people on the planet, 4.8
billion have a mobile device
– Only 4.2 billion have a toothbrush
• Individuals interact with their mobiles an
average of 40 to 80 times per day
• 91% of mobile Internet access is for social
activities
• Mobile users spend 161 million minutes
per month on social media

13. Religion on Social Media
• Top social networks for churches:
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Google+
• 46% believe social media is their most
effective tool for outreach
• 74% of churches do not have a paid staff
member dedicated to social media
BuzzPlant Survey, 2012

14. Religion on Social Media
• Recent survey revealed social media
users are more willing to share “brands
they like” than their “religious
affiliation”
– Religion: “Yes” Men 63% Women 60%
– Brands: “Like” Men 79% Women 76%
uSamp Survey, March 2013

15. Religion on Social Media
• 50% of Americans do not describe
their religious beliefs on Facebook
• 20% of Americans list their religious
identity as “Christian”
– 9% Catholic
– 8% Protestant denomination
– 6% Something else
– 4% Athiest, Agnostic, etc.
Credit: Public Religion Research Institute Study, July 2012

16. Religion on Social Media
• Only 11% of Americans attending
church services post on their personal
social media about being in church
• 10% of Americans have used a cell
phone to take pictures or record video
during worship
• 7% of Americans have read or sent
email during religious services
Credit: Public Religion Research Institute Study, July 2012

17. Religion on Social Media
• 5% of Americans Like or follow a
religious or spiritual leader on
Facebook or Twitter
• 13% of Americans say they have
downloaded a podcast of a sermon or
listened to a sermon online
Credit: Public Religion Research Institute Study, July 2012

18. Religion on Social Media
Religious experience is changing for
younger Americans (age 18-34)
• 9% of younger Americans follow a
religious or spiritual leader
• 10% of younger Americans have
joined a religious or spiritual group on
Facebook
• 35+ are at 1% in both categories
Credit: Public Religion Research Institute Study, July 2012

19. Religion on Social Media
• 40% of younger Americans say that their
church uses multimedia during services
• 22% of younger Americans report their
religious leader uses Twitter &Facebook
regularly
• 26% of younger Americans say that their
place of worship encourages their
activity on social media
Credit: Public Religion Research Institute Study, July 2012

20. Religion on Social Media
• What is next for social media and
religion?
– Follow business social media trends
– Inspire, Inspire, Inspire
– Join the conversation
– Invite social interaction
– Become trendsetters

21. Social Media Trends
• Real-Time Marketing
– Use religiously affiliated social media
pages to join national conversations
during major events and tragedies
– Be present 24-7 on social media
– Connect to your audience

22. Social Media Trends
• #PrayforBoston
– Top Trend on Twitter Monday
– One of most shared items on Twitter and
Facebook was a quote from Presbyterian
minister and beloved children’s show host
Fred Rogers

23. Social Media Trends

24. Social Media Trends
• Hashtag Marketing
– A hashtag is a ”tag” used to categorize
tweets according to topics
– To add a hashtag, you preface the
relevant term(s) with the pound sign (#)
– Hashtags are active on Twitter, Google+,
Instagram, Tumblr and Tout
• Reportedly coming soon to Facebook

25. Social Media Trends
• Businesses use hashtags to increase
brand awareness, stir up social media
conversation and elicit user-generated
content
– Faith-based organizations should follow
– Popular hashtags: #Jesus, #God, #Church,
#Prayer, #Bible, #Spirituality, #TheBible

26. Social Media Trends

27. Social Media Trends
• Use sparingly & respectfully
• Search a hashtag before using it
• Excessive use causes annoyance,
confusion or frustration
• Use hashtags when it adds value, not on
every word in a post
• Create an official hashtag

28. Social Media Trends

29. Social Media Trends

30. Social Media Trends
• Original Content
– From websites to blogs to social media,
original content is key
• Blogs/Articles
• High-Quality Graphics
• Videos (YouTube Channel)
• SEO Implications

31. Social Media Trends
• Location Based Services (LBS)
– FourSquare is the top location based
social network
– The network uses GPS hardware in a
mobile device to “check-in” at locations
where messages and discounts can be
communicated
– LBS provides another opportunity for
ministers to connect

32. Social Media Trends
• Event Promotion
– Social media has changed marketing, but
event promotion has also changed
– Facebook Events is an excellent tool for
churches to invite and promote activities
virally and reach more people

33. Social Media Trends
• Engage
– Communicate with users who engage
– Negative posts will happen
• Customer service is #1
• Respond. Be personable. Be polite.
• Next step is to move to phone or email
contact
– Connect to others

34. Social Media Trends
• Embrace Faith
– Encourage all staffers to be active on
social media
– Share your faith online just as you would
in-person
– Social storytelling is a powerful tool

35. Martin-Wilbourn Partners
• Follow me at @BrentSGambill
• Follow us at @MWPartners
• Website: MWPartners.com
• Blog: MWPartners.com/Podium
• Full Presentation Available at
MWPartners.com/BCA