Should we use Facebook Ads?

As church services move online, the majority of churches have adapted well. However, there is one element that has caused much discussion – Adverts! Specifically, Facebook Adverts! As with all new things, there are concerns about their use, however, if implemented correctly, they could become a useful tool in Gospel ministry.

What are Facebook Ads?

Simply – a post (which is paid for) that is targeted to reach people beyond your page followers (you get to select the geographical area and demographic of your choice).

What do Facebook Ads achieve?

Every Facebook page will have page likes and page followers. For the sake of this article, let’s use Lincoln Baptist. We currently have 434 followers and 422 likes (for reference, we are a church of 120). If you take our last 10 posts (excluding sermons) the average view is circa 150. Meaning, out of 422 people, only 150 people actually saw the post within 24hours of it going live.

Why is this? Well people don’t check their Facebook as often as we might think. They may scroll through their feed, but not necessarily through every single post over a 24-hour period, some posts are simply missed!

When we look at posts that have been shared (re-posting on your own profile) there is a jump in circa 50 views per share. Meaning for a single post to reach 422 people, we would need 4 to 5 people to share every post.

What you will find is that the same people will see the church posts over and over again. You reach a plateau. Your posts become less of an invitation to new people and more of a constant information flow to those who have already decided to engage with your church.

This is where Facebook Ads come in. The ads reach beyond the 422 people and into the ‘unknown’. You can select an area (maybe 1 mile round your church), you can select an age range (possibly for a new Student ministry) and many more options. The ad (through some form of fancy algorithm) then targets those Facebook profiles. If it helps, think of a newspaper advert, or a billboard poster, just with a little more precision.

At Lincoln Baptist, our last 4 adverts reached 11000 (targeted England), 4000 (targeted Lincoln), 1800 and 1900 (targeted student age in Lincoln). In total, over 90 days 20000 people have been reached, 11000 have engaged in the posts (liked page, watched video etc) and over 140 people have liked our page!

What do ads do? They extend the reach of your posts!

Why use Facebook Ads?

Aside from simply extending the church reach, I would advise approaching adverts with an evangelistic mindset. We have the good news of Jesus, a wonderful message of hope and one that not only have we been commanded to share, but we want to share. In using adverts, you can reach into households that are near impossible in person and through the Spirit potentially lead people to Jesus.

Consider the individual who liked our page (through an advert) who had walked away from the church several years ago. They live in London, and during Covid-19 sought answers to life questions. Through an advert, this individual has now watched all 20 sermons online, and in their own words “The daily devotions remind me that I am not alone. Jesus is with me. I can’t wait for lockdown to lift and get back to church.” I am unlikely to ever see this individual in our church, but praise God that we have been able to connect them with a good Gospel believing church in their area.

Lessons we have learned!

Having used ads now for quite some time, we have seen the good and the bad. Here are 15 lessons to help you use ads effectively:

1. Consider your Motive! – further the Kingdom of God, not your ego! This is not about getting more likes to make you a famous pastor or church. Our motive should always be to see the name of Jesus proclaimed, bringing the lost to a certain hope in the Gospel.

2. Consider the aim! – You might want people to watch your sermon or read an encouraging verse in a difficult time. You might want people to message prayer requests, or like the page for more information. Make sure your ad fulfils your aim!

3. Pray! – Treat each ad like your sermon, pray before it, as you write it, as it goes out and after it has finished! Talk to God and seek the power of the Spirit to use your ads to further the Kingdom!

4. Budget is important! – Each ad costs! The more you spend, the further reach it will have! A £40, 5-day advert, targeting Lincoln (a city of 90,000) will have a limit of 12000 views. You can’t do this for every post, so vary the budget and target audience (be wise with your investment).

5. Know the Audience! – Who is it you want to reach? Do you want parents to know about your online parenting course? Do you want families to join your all age service? Make sure you narrow the parameters down. You might find this will also reduce the cost.

6. Frequency! – We found that an advert every week was not only costly but produced a plateau in views. I would suggest being selective, with 2 adverts per month (if budget allows). Don’t run ads longer than 5 days, our experience showed a reduction in views at day 4 and 5.

7. Video & Picture Quality – you will need to use a video or picture that has minimal writing on it, use the written description for information. Don’t post grainy pictures, bad videos, or tinny sounding clips. These only promote how out of touch the church is. Make sure your post is high HD quality. Keep written description to minimum e.g. Online service every Sunday @ 10am.

8. Vary Content! – Use a picture, a video, a verse just do not use the same thing over and over! Remember, adverts on TV that keep coming up get annoying! Change it up as often as possible.

9. Think about timing! – don’t post an ad 1 day before an event, try 3 or 4 days. Post immediately after an event (this builds the desire to attend the next one).

10. Be prepared for negative feedback! – John 15 tells us that the world hates those that love Jesus. Expect negative feedback (some can be quite awful!) My advice is to delete crude and offensive comments, if necessary, take the post down. Do not engage in debate! If you are precious about your star rating on Facebook, don’t use ads!

11. Follow up conversations! – Make sure someone is ready to answer questions such as how to access the online services. There is nothing worse than a church who puts themselves out there and then ignores those who come knocking!

12. Post a sermon ad! - If budget allows, have a full sermon as your ad (simply select video and upload your sermon). Literally thousands have watched through the sermons since doing this at Lincoln Baptist.

13. Not everyone will agree! – some don’t like Facebook; others are wary of it. Don’t expect everyone to agree to use ads. However, have confidence, trying new things for the Kingdom is exciting (can you remember the first use of projectors rather than hymn books in church – oh the scandal!)

14. Don’t rush! – Make sure to take time and think through each ad. Check for spelling mistakes, and make sure the information is correct.

15. They won’t substitute for a bad website! – don’t invest £100 pound into ads if your webpage is out of date, old fashioned or plain ugly to look at! Website first, Facebook second!

I pray that as you use Facebook Ads to reach new people for Jesus, that the Lord will be glorified, and many souls would come to Christ! Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear “I was saved during Covid-19 thanks to a post I randomly scrolled by on my Facebook”?

Pastor Ross Ferguson