When you are going to a new restaurant, do you just walk in the door or do you look at their website and peruse their menu first? When you go to a new city, do you just show up and explore on your own or do you do some research first—at least looking up some yummy places to eat and good hotel deals? Chance are, when someone walks through your church door for the first time, that really isn’t their first time visiting you. No matter how they found you—online search, driving by, or invited by a friend. Just like you don’t visit somewhere new without checking it out first, visitors have spent time with you and gotten to know you before they even stepped foot on your property—and they have done all of that online. This makes your online presence vital. But it’s not just your website. A website is like the outside of the house. It’s what you want people to see when they drive by. It’s polished. It has the basic information (location, service times, events, leadership, etc.). Time Out: Can we pause for a moment? The most visited page on church websites is the leadership page. People want to see who is doing what. Not just who the pastor is, but who is the children’s director, worship leader, youth leader, etc. They want to know WHO you are. Time In: Your website is very important and very helpful. At the same time, there is a really good chance that your website is the second place that people check you out. Social media is becoming the introductory point for the majority of people. A quick search, and you get to see so much more than the website. Social media is like the inside of your house. It is where people can see real life. They see the heartbeat. Your social media presence will make or break whether that person checks you out further (by then looking on your website or just coming in your door). Social Media is an ever-changing platform. As soon as you figure out Facebook, they change the algorithms. Instagram is changing. Twitter can just be confusing. Like with anything, the best way to start is just to start. Dive in. Start posting. You really can’t mess it up too much. There are strategies and effective and efficient ways, but there is no wrong way. For those of you who are overwhelmed by social media and need help with the basics and how to get started, we are working on some quick tips and tutorials to help you. Stay tuned! If you are already posting on Facebook and ready to bump it up a notch, this article is a quick introduction on boosting posts (paying for your posts be visible to more people).