Social Media Analytics

Facebook Insight

Largest audience but declining engagement. Facebook has 3x more followers than Instagram (582 vs 179) and 6x more views (23.7K vs 3.9K), but engagement dropped 47% year-over-year. The audience skews older (33% are 65+) and is hyper-local — Austin alone accounts for 49% of followers.

Video and Live content perform best. Videos drive 34% of views, and Live streams generate 29% of all engagement despite being a small fraction of posts. Strategy: Prioritize video content and maintain weekly livestream consistency. The 34% non-follower view rate shows content is reaching beyond the existing audience.

YouTube Insight

62% of traffic comes from "Suggested Videos" — the algorithm is working. The channel grew from 2 to 709 subscribers since March 2020, with notable spikes in early 2022.

Demographics caveat: The 99% male figure is likely a measurement artifact, not reality. YouTube tracks which Google account is logged in, not who's actually watching. Smart TVs and Chromecasts are typically set up with one account (often the husband's), but both spouses watch — or only the wife watches on the family TV. Instagram's 62% female demographic aligns much better with typical church congregation patterns. Don't make content decisions based on the YouTube gender data.

Viral Content: Children's Sermons

A 2021 children's sermon is driving massive traffic. "Gifts for Sharing - Minute Message" (Nov 2021) received 568 views in just 48 hours — that's 90% of recent channel traffic from a single 3-year-old video. YouTube's algorithm is recommending this children's content to a broader audience. Strategy opportunity: Create more short-form children's sermon content — it has proven viral potential and reaches families beyond the congregation.

Instagram Insight

Hyper-local audience — the right people are following. Point Venture, Briarcliff, Spicewood are all Lake Travis communities. However, zero link clicks means Instagram isn't driving website traffic. Consider updating the bio link and using Stories with swipe-up links.

Cross-Platform Strategy

Different platforms, different audiences, same community. Facebook reaches the older congregation (65+), Instagram reaches younger families (35-44, majority female), and YouTube has the broadest reach through algorithmic discovery. All three platforms show hyper-local audiences — Austin, Spicewood, Briarcliff, Point Venture dominate on every platform.

Recommendation: Maintain presence on all three, but tailor content. Facebook for announcements and livestreams (older audience expects it). Instagram for photos and stories (younger families, visual content). YouTube for sermon archive and children's content (algorithm does the work).

Phase 2 Opportunity: Virtual Congregation

The billboard reaches locals. Threads and Bluesky could reach a virtual congregation.

Livestreams are already popular — "Live" is the #2 most visited page, and live content drives 29% of Facebook engagement. There's an opportunity to extend this reach to people who can't find affirming churches locally.

Why Threads + Bluesky? Both platforms skew younger and have higher LGBTQ+ representation than mainstream social media. Younger users (18-34) and LGBTQ+ individuals actively seek affirming spiritual communities but often face barriers to physical attendance — geography, religious trauma, or lack of local options. Spirit in the Hills is already positioned as welcoming; these platforms could connect that message to people searching for exactly this.

Strategy: Not just cross-posting — intentional community building. Engage authentically, share livestream schedules, create a sense of belonging for remote viewers. This is a longer-term investment, best pursued after the billboard launch stabilizes.

Design Implication

The new Squarespace site must be maintainable by non-technical staff. WordPress was too complex for current leadership. Squarespace's simpler interface is a better fit.