The Top 5 Church Social Media Management Tools

Do you ever struggle to know what to post or when to post it?

Social media is a critical aspect of ministry for hundreds of thousands of churches around the world. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and everything in between is used by young and old alike. In fact, a recent study from Pew Research showed that teens are leaning more towards short form content than ever, with Youtube, Tiktok, and Instagram dominating in usage in that age group.

So how is the Church capitalizing? In 2023 more than ever, it is critical for churches to have the right strategy, and the right tools to stay on top of social media. 

We have compiled a definitive list of the best social media tools for churches in 2023.

#1 Discipls.io

The only Social Media Management tool built specifically for Churches

Price: $13/month for the basic plan with a 14-day free trial, and FREE for church plants

Overview: While Discipls.io is a relatively new platform, it has established itself as an exceptional option for the unique needs of Churches. Churches can post across all of their social profiles, including Google Business (to help with SEO and Local Search). In addition, Discipls.io incorporates a custom trained AI Chatbot built for Churches. According to the website, they are also launching a Planning Center integration to help post around your church calendar, as well as AI content generation for Tiktok, Instagram Reels, and Youtube Shorts.

Drawbacks: Discipls.io is new, with some features still being built. For example, the analytics are sometimes less descriptive than you might find in other platforms.

#2 Later 

The Go-to Social Media Management tool for Visual Church Content

Price: Basic plans start at $18/month with a 7-day free trial.

Overview: Later has fast become a favorite among Churches for its visual content-oriented approach. It allows for planning, scheduling, and posting across all major social platforms, with a special focus on visually heavy platforms like Instagram. Its visual content calendar and ability to auto-publish posts make it a great tool for managing and scheduling visual content for Churches.

Drawbacks: While Later excels in dealing with visual content, it was not built for churches, so there is no way to plan other communication, like Push Notifications on your church app. It lacks in tools that are church-specific

#3 Meta Business Suite 

Your All-in-One Facebook and Instagram Management Center

Price: Free

Overview: Meta Business Suite, formerly known as Facebook Business Suite, is a comprehensive social media management tool provided by Facebook. It offers businesses an excellent platform to manage their Facebook and Instagram accounts from one place. Businesses can schedule posts, manage engagement, and review comprehensive insights into their social performance.

Drawbacks: The Meta Business Suite is limited to managing Facebook and Instagram, making it less comprehensive when compared to other platforms that handle multiple social media platforms. It also can prove to be incredibly complex for most churches’ needs.

#4 Canva 

Simplifying Graphic Design for Churches

Price: Free basic plan. Pro plans start at $10/month. (You want the pro plan)

Overview: Canva is not your traditional social media management tool but is invaluable for businesses for its graphic design capabilities. Canva’s user-friendly platform and vast library of templates make it easy for Churches to create stunning, eye-catching social media graphics. It also allows for team collaboration, making it an excellent tool for Church media teams.

Drawbacks: While Canva is a fantastic tool for creating graphics, it does not offer true social media post scheduling or analytics features.

#5 Hootsuite 

Pricey, but Powerful

Price: Paid plans start at $99 per month, with a 30-day free trial. Plans up to $250/month.

Overview: Hootsuite’s strength lies in its capacity to allow Churches to curate, schedule content, measure social metrics, run social media ads, and more from one platform. With its ability to connect with over 35 social networks, Hootsuite is particularly helpful for businesses managing multiple social media accounts.

Drawbacks: Despite its comprehensive features, Hootsuite’s pricing can be a barrier for some churches, and the interface can feel very overwhelming for beginners. It also has no church-specific tooling.

Conclusion

Overall, Church Marketing and Church Communications can be a complex, daunting task. There are so many things we juggle as church leaders, it’s important to streamline tasks like social media management as much as possible.