Fundamentals of Running and Growing a Social Media Channel
Section outline
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Course Overview
Okay, so your ministry got onto social media...now what? In this course we review what it means to run and grow social media channels. We define growth, explore ways to grow and review different tactics and strategies.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, we hope you'll be able to-
Begin to define for yourself what growth means,
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Differentiate between posting, engagement, and research/planning activities, and
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Identify and brainstorm growth strategies.
You should notice a series of modules with various growth methods named, as well as this first module on course introduction and a final one tying it all together. Be sure to do the introductory survey to let us know your hopes and goals! Each platform module has a video about growth strategies: click them to watch, listen and interact with them. After working your way through the videos, be sure to interact with the forums in the final module, download and interact with the additional modules, and check your knowledge with a quiz and activities. Finally, you should notice a survey at the end of the course: do be sure to fill this out so we can make the course better!
Get to Know Your Instructor: Tim!
Tim Campbell-Smith is so extroverted he puts the social back in social media. Tim’s love language is local restaurants, and Time Magazine describes him as “someone we’ve literally never heard of.” Having a passionate love affair with Pinterest, Tim’s dogs Scout and Milo describe him as a “snazzy guy who’s pretty good at digital marketing.” Tim also felt obligated to share he’s consulted for hundreds of businesses worldwide and completed training with honours in both Adult Education and Digital Marketing Management. An international speaker and trainer, he also teaches business and marketing at York University, and his newest book, Lousy and Conflicting Advice: A Humorous Reflection on a Career in Social Media Marketing is out now.
Email: tim@timcampbellstrategist.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
About Ministry Forum
Ministry Forum is a space where faith, community, and leadership converge. We are a vibrant and inclusive online platform hosted by Knox College, University of Toronto, dedicated to serving current and aspiring Christian ministry leaders. Our community is as diverse as the ministries we represent, encompassing students, alumni, pastors, psychotherapists, chaplains, and those passionate about spreading the Good News in whatever ministry context they find themselves.
Our identity is rooted in the belief that ministry is not a solitary journey; it's a collective effort. We are a fellowship that values authenticity, fosters connections, and celebrates diversity. Here, you'll find a safe space to explore, share, and grow in your faith, leadership, and ministry.
Our mission is to empower ministry leaders to thrive. We do this by curating valuable resources, facilitating thought-provoking discussions, and offering spaces to gather both online and in person. Through recommended reading, podcasts, the curation of lifelong learning opportunities, and much more, we hope to provide our community with a wealth of insights to enhance their ministry.
We also believe in the power of personal connection. Our Director, John, would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your ministry context. With 25 years of ministry experience himself, he strives to be a good listener, a trusted advisor, and someone who values maintaining confidentiality. We also believe that Ministry Forum will thrive in the community that surrounds it - to that end, we need your suggestions, ideas, and expertise to shape our content and priorities.
Contact John Borthwick, Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Know College john.borthwick@utoronto.ca
Contact Ministry Forum hello@ministryforum.ca
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Help us better understand your background, motivations, and expectations for the course.
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In the discussion forum, introduce yourself!Let us Know:
- Your name
- Your church
- What you hope to learn from this course
- How you hope to use what you learn in the course in your congregational setting.
Note: Create a new forum thread to answer the above questions. When you are finished, comment on at least two of the other introductions—get to know each other!
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To apply what we’ve covered in the course, here are a few fun challenges to try. They take what we’ve discussed in this course and get you to engage in practical exploration and sense of play mentioned in the videos!
Posting
Try posting something your ministry hasn’t posted before, like a meme or a selfie.
How do people respond?
Engaging
Set a timer for 3 or 7 minutes of just engagement time. This could include following new accounts, commenting on posts or sending direct messages.
Figure out how much you could get done in that time.
Research / Planning
Do an internet search for social media growth strategies and try something new, shocking, or interesting. Be sure to share with others!
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In the discussion forum, create a post answering the following reflection question:
What are some metrics YOU think are important to your ministry? Share what they are and why, and engage with others!
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In the discussion forum, create a post answering the following reflection question:
What growth strategy could you do more: posting, engaging, or researching and planning? How will you do more of it? Watch other’s answers for ideas! -
Check your knowledge from the course with these matching, true/false and multiple choice questions!
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Now that you've completed the Fundamentals of Running and Growing a Social Media Channel course, we'd love your feedback! Your insights will help us improve the course each year.
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Here are a few additional resources!
From your instructor, Tim: I love this article on How to Build a Social Media Growth Strategy That Works from Hootsuite because it captures a great deal of strategies and concepts. I thought it was wise to start by defining growth (like we did in this course), talk about it at a high level and provide case studies to illustrate.
https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-growth/ -
In the course we discuss how memes are a great piece of content to share and grow. While there's many meme generators, I prefer this one because it's so easy and free.
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