Best Practices for Optimizing Your Church Event Calendar
Picture this: You’ve got an amazing event planned for your church…maybe it’s a potluck dinner, a charity fundraiser, or a special worship service. You’ve put in the hard work to make it happen, but now comes the crucial step: getting people to show up! That’s where maintaining an active church event calendar can keep your members and community engaged and connected.
In this blog post, we’ll walk through some tried-and-true tips to help you optimize your calendar and promote your events like a pro.
Why Your Church Website Event Calendar Matters
Your church event calendar is more than just a digital datebook…it’s a powerful tool to foster community, deepen relationships, and grow your congregation. In fact, people are often more likely to attend an event if they can find information on what to expect online. That’s where your church website’s event calendar comes into play! By keeping your calendar up-to-date with all the latest happenings in your ministry and community, you make it easy for people to get involved and stay connected.
“ChurchSpring is user friendly. I enjoy the calendar–easy to post and very easy to locate. The support team has been efficient and ready to assist.” – Cheryl H. from First Baptist Church.
Tips to Promote Your Event On Your Church Website
Make Your Calendar Visible and User-Friendly
Let’s start with the basics. Imagine a visitor landing on your church’s website, eager to find out what’s happening. If your event calendar is buried deep within your site’s maze of pages, they’re more likely to get lost than find upcoming events. That’s why step one is to place your calendar front and center on your website. We recommend having a section on your home page and your main navigation menu. This way, website visitors can easily access it with just a click or two.
Every ChurchSpring-powered website template automatically comes with a calendar module on the home page and main navigation, so you don’t have to think twice about updating main events!
But simply having the calendar visible isn’t enough, it needs to be user-friendly also. Ensure it has a responsive design that looks great on all devices, from desktop computers to smartphones.
Enhance Listings with Visuals and Interactivity
Let’s be honest—a bland, text-heavy event listing is about as exciting as watching paint dry. To truly captivate your audience, incorporate rich visuals and interactive elements.
High-quality images or videos can make your programs look engaging and welcoming as they provide a preview of what attendees can expect. Add any relevant promotional videos, speaker headshots, location images, previous event pictures, the event logo, or marketing promotions. For local events, embedding Google Maps with directions is a bonus to easily direct attendees to your location.
Don’t Be Shy With Event Details
Once your calendar is updated, it’s time to optimize the individual event listings. This step is crucial for communicating to members about upcoming events and for guests to find you through search engines.
Start by using a clear, descriptive event title. For instance, instead of a vague “Bible Study” label, try something more specific like “Weekly Women’s Bible Study on Ephesians.” This makes it more compelling for visitors to want to learn more about the event.
Provide thorough details in the event description: the who, what, when, and where. Don’t make attendees play guessing games!
Details to include will depend on your event but may entail:
- Location
- The focus or mission of the event
- Who is invited
- start time and end time
- Dress code
- Cost
- Related worship songs or passages
- Speaker bios and headshots
- Parking information
Integrate Registration and Live Streaming
In today’s digital age, people expect convenience at their fingertips. So in addition to listing event details, consider integrating online registration right into your church website event calendar. This allows interested people to seamlessly sign up without having to jump through hoops.
For virtual or hybrid events, include the live streaming link or communicate how attendees can access the live stream at the event start. That way, remote attendees can tune in and participate without leaving their living rooms.
Spread the Word Across Multiple Channels
Simply having an optimized church event calendar on your website isn’t enough. You need to actively promote it too. Leverage all your communication channels to get the word out there, such as email and social media. ChurchSpring offers an integrated social media platform for you to easily schedule social media posts right within your church website’s event calendar.
Regularly share upcoming event highlights on your social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Email marketing is another marketing channel to update your members about what’s coming up. Include a “Featured Events” section in your newsletters to grab members’ interest.
Leverage the Calendar for Outreach
Your church calendar can be so much more than just a hub for internal events. Why not use it as a powerful tool for connecting with your local community and city?
List any local events you’re co-hosting with a community partner, training or educational opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and community-specific events such as a clothing drive or Turkey Trot race for the holidays.
Your church’s event calendar is a great way to expand your reach and attract newcomers through your digital doors.
Consistently Update and Maintain
Outdated or inaccurate listings can quickly lead to confusion and your email being bombarded with questions. Establish a clear process for regularly adding and updating upcoming events. Assign a dedicated staff member or volunteer to manage the event calendar.
Don’t forget to remove any listings for past events to keep your calendar clutter-free. All ChurchSpring church websites will automatically remove any past event listings, so you can focus on your ministry instead of administration.
Track Performance and Keep Improving
Consistently measure your event’s performance using relevant metrics. Track your website traffic to that page, the total number of people who registered for the event, and the overall attendance.
Gathering direct feedback from attendees by sending out a post-event survey can also help you understand areas of growth for the next event.
Promote Your Church Event
By optimizing your church website’s event calendar, you’re fostering community, deepening relationships, and ultimately, growing God’s kingdom. Start promoting your events and watch your church community flourish. Check out ChurchSpring’s event calendar automatically integrated into every church website subscription with registration, live streaming integration, and so much more. Try out ChurchSpring for free or sign up for a free ChurchSpring demo
