Social Media Strategy for Basilian Vocations

To help the Basilian Vocations Office efforts to connect with young men who are considering joining the priesthood, I started an Instagram (@basilianvocations) and Facebook page (@basilianvocations). The aim is reach a different audience from the main Basilian social media channels, which are of interest to the general public who are familiar with the Basilians including students, staff, alumni and parishioners of Basilian institutions. 

I have generated content to be geared towards someone discerning their vocation to join the priesthood. The target audience for the new social media pages is male, attends high school or university and is usually involved in his parish or school's campus ministry. 

The goal of the content is to increase brand recognition for this small Congregation, promote its vocation program and curate articles and reflections that would be of interest to someone thinking of joining the priesthood.

The style of posts continues to evolve as I experiment with what makes a post successful. Posts that feature a well known Basilian priest perform well. Tagging high school, university and parish communities where the Basilians serve also helps increase a post's reach.

Whenever possible, posts include a link to the Basilian website where a visitor is prompted to fill out a form to contact the vocation director. The organization also frequently receives messages through these social media pages from those interested in joining the Congregation. These are responded to in a timely manner.