Is it a novelty or a tool? That is the question. Instagram Stories is the latest answer to Snapchap. Create a video or a picture and within 24hrs it’s history. Seems like a lot of work for a church to incorporate but the stats for the popularity of Instagram might make you think it is worth the effort.
So how can you use Instagram Stories for church and engaging the community? Here is the Why, the What, and the How
The Why.
Wondering why you should engage in Instagram stories? Here are 4.
- Over 300 million active “daily” users for Instagram Stories
- Research shows that among the Instagram users polled, watching videos on the Instagram platform was up over 80% from the previous year and additionally those watching are consuming the videos on their mobile device (up 60% from the previous 2 years)
- It’s Visual Storytelling. The majority of the population are visual learners, 65% of them.
- Stories feel more authentic and real to the viewer.
The What.
So now assuming you are a believer in the Instagram Story. Here are some “what content to post” ideas.
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Message or worship. Use video clips of the worship or a video clip of the pastor speaking. Make a graphic with a memorable quote from the pastor.
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Highlight some of the staff or volunteers. It can be a quick “Hey this is Jen and she works with our video team and she runs camera for our services”
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Devotions. Umm… is there need for explanation?
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Behind the scenes. Is the youth ministry preparing to take students to summer camp or a mission trip. Catching the staff in their offices can be a fun surprise.
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The list is endless but here are some other notables… upcoming events, question and answer, tour of the kid’s ministry, invitation from the pastor to visit.
The How.
For those that don’t have a pre-teen or teen around the house to teach you how to create a story (chill I know you can figure it out), let me share this quick video with you:
The How with Help.
Now that you are familiar with adding stories you can enhance the stories with several apps (some are free and some have a minimal cost) that will make adding stories easier.
Those are just a few of the whys, whats and hows on using the Instagram Stories. Now it is up to you to begin using this platform to engage your community. If you have any other apps that you like to use please comment and let us know. We are always looking for new apps that make work easier;)
