After the challenges of the last year, many people are now just excited to celebrate Christmas this year.
Whether together with friends and families at in person, or online from their own homes, people will be searching online for ways to celebrate this year.
A Church Near You and social media make it easy for people to find you online - so how can you ensure your online presence is up to date and inviting?
In this blog, the Church of England Digital team share five quick updates to help you get ready to invite this Christmas, these include:
1. Add your Christmas events and services to AChurchNearYou.com
- Did you know that in 2020 AChurchNearYou.com received more than 77 million page views? With Christmas being the busiest time of the year on the site, now is the time to update your page to include your services and events.
2. Use the AChurchNearYou.com event Tags to help visitors find services and events.
- Many people search online for something specific. At Christmas time, this could be a Christingle service, a family friendly activity, or a Midnight mass near to them. Adding tags to events on AChurchNearYou.com will help them find what they are looking for.
3. Include links to your online services and events.
- Many people find online activities more accessible, and some will be continuing to protect themselves or a loved one this Christmas, so it’s important to keep them in mind. Whether the service is pre-recorded or live, adding the direct link from your website to the online service or event will connect people into your church community.
4. Use social media to invite your community along.
- Posting about services and events regularly on your church social media profile will keep them top of mind in your church community. And - importantly - enable members to share the invite with their friends and family.
5. Use the theme #AtTheHeartOfChristmas to inspire your posts on social media.
- Whether you’re sharing photos of your beautifully decorated church, sharing a video from your carol service or inviting people along to a Christmas Day service, join together with churches across the country and use the hashtag #AtTheHeartOfChristmas. Your post may be shared by the Church of England, allowing more people to find out about what you’re up to this year.
Read the full Blog
- Read the full blog on the Church of England website to discover how to address all five items above.