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You Can't Do That on Facebook: Targeted Messages

People often point to Facebook and wonder why the church would even need the Table. Facebook is ideal for outreach, but it falls short at building community. That's what the Table is all about. We encourage churches to use Facebook and the Table together. But the fact is there are things you can't do on Facebook that the Table is designed to do.

Like targeted messages.

One of the secret joys of social networks is the demographic data. Advertisers love it. They can narrowly target specific people and not waste time and money reaching people who don't fit.

That can be pretty handy for a church. Announcements that only appeal to a small minority don't need to go to the entire church.

Targeted Messages on the Table
The Table makes targeted messaging simple and easy with the tip bar. It's the yellow bar that appears below the menu and above the content. It's a place where SuperAdmins can put targeted messages. You can target people based on age, gender, location and interest, as well as targeting your staff.

It's a great way to put up reminders and announcements for specific groups. Learn more about how to use the tip bar.

Targeted Messages on Facebook
Even though you have a whole list of people who like your page and want your messages, the only way to do targeted messages on Facebook is to pay for an ad.

Ouch. You can't do that on Facebook.

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Get Your Message Out

You can specifically target messages to your church on the Table. No more lobbing messages to your entire congregation and hoping the right people in the crowd catch it. Target the exact people you need to reach.

• Got a message about the men's lunch next week? Hit up the men and don't distract the women.
• Need to reach the youth group? You can target based on age.
• Start a new small group by reaching out to people in a specific area.

These messages appear in the "tip bar," which is the yellow bar below the menu and above the content, where SuperAdmins can post targeted messages. These are short messages that can link to other content.

Here's how to set them up:

• In the SuperAdmin Manage screen, go to the "Promote" tab and the "Broadcast a Message" section.
• Click "Create New" on the right side.
• At the top you can create a new message, including the text of the message (no HTML allowed), an optional url for the message to link to, and the start and end dates for the message.
• Then you can target the message. You can throw out general announcements to your entire church, like a service cancellation, a new event or tips on using the Table. Or you can more finely target your message based on gender, age, location and interest. You can even send messages just to your staff.

Some Examples:

• A general message for your entire church: Don't forget to bring your donations for the Haiti Scholarship Drive on Sunday.
• A targeted message for people in their 20s: Good movies, good conversation. Join our young adult ministry for our movie night.
• A targeted message for men within a certain ZIP code: Join us for the men's bike ride in the Como Park neighborhood on Saturday.
• A targeted message based on interest: A new knitting group is getting started. Join us on Sunday to find out more.
• A targeted message for your staff: Don't forget that timesheets are due on Friday.
• A general message about how to use the Table: Getting too many emails from the Table? Here's how to change your preferences.

We'll also add general Table announcements to your tip bar, so even if you don't program any messages, one will show up. We try to keep our announcements minimal so your church's messages will be seen more often.

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