Should my church market on LinkedIn?

Gone are the days when houses of worship succeeded just because their parishioners lived nearby. People are driving further to get to their favorite ministries, so congregation leaders have to focus on having a digital footprint. Pastors may end up asking whether they should do church marketing on LinkedIn to help in this endeavor, and it turns out that doing so can only help.

At DonorWerx, we want to ensure you have every outreach tool at your disposal. Check out our guide on Social Media Strategies for Churches when you have a moment. Until then, continue reading to learn whether your church marketing on LinkedIn is the right choice for helping your ministry succeed.

What Is LinkedIn? Is It Appropriate for Churches?

LinkedIn is very similar to social media platforms like Facebook, but it’s more oriented to business and professional relationships. Both individuals and organizations, including your church, can create pages on the website. You can then network, share stories, stay up to date within industries and distribute organizational information.

If you’re on the fence about claiming a spot on the platform, you might wonder whether church marketing on LinkedIn is even appropriate. Since the site has a major focus on the business world, this is an understandable concern to have. It’s important to remember, though, that the ministry is a professional atmosphere. 

A company search for the term ministry returns 14,000 results on the website. The same search for the word church? That gets over 150,000 results. There are also over 360,000 personal pages for pastors on the platform. Your congregation isn’t a business, but sometimes, it’s important to treat it that way. Church marketing on LinkedIn is appropriate, but is it the right move for your ministry?

What Does Church Marketing on LinkedIn Look Like?

Nearly 10 percent of churchgoers drive over 30 minutes to get to their place of worship. Almost one-quarter drive 16 to 30 minutes. Since people seem willing to bypass many other ministries to attend one they like, this means churches need to market themselves online. Church marketing on LinkedIn, however, doesn’t resemble typical promotional strategies.

Any list of online advertising tips for churches will include strategies like “share engaging visual content” and “use Facebook ads for donor engagement.” This is slightly different with LinkedIn. Instead of posting inspiring memes and videos, churches should focus more on building their profile and network.

By creating a profile that looks professional, you can highlight what makes your church special and add a sense of credibility. You can also make sure that people have up-to-date information on your ministry and adding links to your other pages will even improve search engine optimization. You should still share engaging content, but LinkedIn users dislike blatant promotion.

The Best Digital Marketing Services for Your Church

Why Your Church Should Use LinkedIn for Marketing

Increased credibility, improved search engine ranking and an unparalleled ability to network aren’t the only reasons church marketing on LinkedIn might be right for your ministry. Statistics show this platform is a powerful resource for those who use it correctly. When you consider the following facts, you’ll likely realize your congregation can only benefit from LinkedIn.

Nearly Perfect Age Demographics

A major reason that LinkedIn is right for your church relates to age demographics. Most of the platform’s users are over the age of 45, and research tells us that these individuals are more likely to believe in God than younger cohorts. And since ages 45 to 54 are when adults hit their peak income, you’ll also reach the people who can tithe and donate generously.

Top 10 Church Hashtags in 2021

Maximize Reach

Your ministry has likely considered using smaller social platforms for improved outreach, but church marketing on LinkedIn doesn’t fall into that category. That’s because LinkedIn is far from a small platform. There are over 760 million people on the website, and while industry giants like Facebook might dwarf this number, it’s important to cast a wide net by using multiple services.

Access Valuable Demographics

If you’re trying to increase giving at your church, donor segmentation is an essential element of success. The ability to understand your people is paramount in creating targeted messaging that increases donations. LinkedIn helps immensely in this respect by allowing page owners to view the demographics of their followers.

If you’re using a donor engagement framework like DonorWerx, this information can maximize your outreach and revenue increasing efforts.

Increasing Virtual Tithing Through Appropriate Surveying

Things Churches Can Do on LinkedIn

Church marketing on LinkedIn can be a valuable asset for increased visibility and building targeted messaging. There are many other tools on the platform, though, that could make your efforts worthwhile. You should make your LinkedIn page both professional and informative at the very least, but with the following abilities, you can take this service to the next level.

• Post job openings: Having trouble hiring an executive pastor or filling another position? You can post jobs directly to your page.
• List volunteer opportunities: Posting a volunteer opportunity on LinkedIn is just as easy as creating a job listing.
• Network with other church leaders: Leaders from different churches – and often different denominations – work together to better communities. LinkedIn allows you to stay connected.
• Run ad campaigns: While church marketing on LinkedIn should remain subtle, you can run ad campaigns for important information. Did your ministry recently start offering text-to-give? This and similar news could be ad-worthy.
• Join focused groups: You can expand your network far outside of your locality by joining groups on LinkedIn. This is also where you’ll find engaging and invaluable content in a timely manner.

The possibilities for growing your church with LinkedIn are limitless. Don’t let such a powerful tool go unutilized.

10 Steps to Better Church Marketing: An Ultimate Guide

Is Church Marketing on LinkedIn Worth It?

There are no doubt many benefits to making a LinkedIn page for your church. Even if you don’t frequently use it, it will help build your web presence and can even improve local search ranking for your website. Whether using your time to post actively to the platform is prudent, though, will depend on your ministry’s specific needs.

The decision to use church marketing on LinkedIn should only come after a discussion with your congregation’s leadership, but the giving experts at DonorWerx can provide invaluable information before you broach the subject. Schedule a Discovery Call with us today and we’ll help you understand how a social media presence can improve your overall giving strategy.