How to Promote Your Church Events Online This Christmas

Chances are, you may already have an extensive plan for your Advent and Christmas events at your parish. From a giving tree to a children’s pageant, Midnight Mass, and beyond, this is one of the busiest times of the year for churches. So, you’ve got a rich variety of events, but do you have a plan to market them? Approaching the Advent and Christmas season with a digital marketing strategy for the offerings you already have in place is an excellent way to attract new people to your church and ensure that your current parishioners are in the know. It’s also an excellent way to attract volunteers and energy around your Christmas plans. 

Let’s get into what a digital marketing strategy is and some ideas for how to apply it to your parish events. 

What is a Digital Marketing Strategy?

A digital marketing strategy is a roadmap for using online tools like your website, email, and social media to reach your goals and grow your audience. It should be intentional and driven by a goal you have. This strategy helps you focus your efforts so that every click, post, or ad supports your mission.

To develop a digital marketing strategy, you need to determine the following factors:

• Goal
• Target Audience
• Key Channels 
• Specific Tactics and Actions
• How to Measure Success

Once these elements are determined, you are ready to get started. 

Key Channels and Tools for Digital Marketing Strategies

Your next step in digitally marketing your parish event is choosing the right channels. The following are some great options that many parishes already utilize: 

Website Tools

• Event landing pages — always make sure every event or program has its own landing page hosted on your website. A landing page will have all the essential information about that event in one place. It may also include your digital flyer, registration forms, or payment options (if applicable). For easy access, add a QR code linked to the landing page on printed material and post a link to the landing page on all other digital outlets! Lastly, make sure that your landing page looks great on mobile devices, not just on a computer screen! 
  
  
• Blogs — If your parish or pastor keeps a blog, mentioning events in blog articles (and including a link to the landing page) is a great way to spread awareness.   
  
  
• Website banners — If your website uses rotating banners on your homepage, creating a banner to advertise your event is a top-tier way to get lots of eyes on your promotion. Check out some pre-designed holiday web banners available through our parish website tool, WeConnect, to get inspired! 

Social Media Tools

• General social media posts — Posting on social media about your event is one of the best (and cheapest) ways to advertise! Include a variety of posts, such as images from past events, your digital flyer, and even quotes and testimonials from past attendees or current organizers. Remember: ALWAYS link people to the event’s landing page so they don’t get lost looking for more info. Don’t have a graphic designer? Don’t worry! We have a variety of parish event and program graphics inside WeCreate for all your communication needs.
  
  
• Videos (short and long form) — Posting a video, or “reel” as some platforms call it, is a great way to engage people online! Consider a 20-second shout-out from your pastor or ministry leaders inviting people to the event.
  
  
• Ads — Paying for a “boost” on Instagram or Facebook (or even creating a whole separate ad on your favorite social media platform) is a fantastic way to reach a larger community. Again, don’t forget to include your event’s landing page link!
  
  
• Events (Facebook, Meetup, Eventbrite) — Some platforms allow you to create a specific event page and advertise through their platform. Events like this then show up on that platform’s calendar, so when people search for local gatherings, they’ll see your event! This type of digital marketing is awesome for concerts, benefits, community service projects, and seminars/retreats! 

Other Digital Marketing Tools:

• Email Campaigns — Email is arguably still the very best way to reach your audience digitally. If your parish has a master list of parishioner emails, consider sending out email campaigns advertising your events and programs.
  
  
• Digital Parish Bulletin — Make sure to include your event in your bulletin, especially if you use a digital bulletin every week. Parishes that publish their bulletins with LPi automatically get a high-resolution digital bulletin that they can send out via email or link on their website or social media posts, at no charge. 
  
  
• Digital Flyers — A digital flyer is simply a flyer that can be shared online. It often includes a link or two that people can click directly from their computer or their phone. Digital flyers can be sent out via email, social media, or even text message. Check out our guide on how to make awesome flyers.
  
  
• Text Messaging — Send out your digital flyer and a link to your event landing page via text message if your parish has a text messaging system. Make sure both look good on mobile devices before pressing send! 

Sample Digital Marketing Strategy 

Here’s an example digital marketing strategy for a parish Giving Tree program.



Goal 

• Raise awareness and increase participation in our yearly Giving Tree program. 
• Have 100% of the giving tree gifts donated by December 20.

Target Audience

• Parishioners attending Mass 
• Parish school families and religious education participants
• Newer members who may be unfamiliar with the program
• Broader local community and neighborhood

Key Channels & Tactics

1. Website (WeConnect)

• Home Page Banner promoting the Giving Tree (Nov. 15–Dec. 20)
  
  
• Dedicated Giving Tree Landing Page with:
• Program overview
• How to participate (physical & virtual options)
• FAQs
• Final return date (Dec. 20)
• Contact info for questions
  
  

2. Email

• Kickoff Email (Nov. 15):
  “Our Giving Tree Is Up — Help Us Spread Joy This Christmas!”
  
  
• Mid-Campaign Reminder (Dec. 1):
  “Some Giving Tree Tags Remain! Pick Yours Up Soon!”
  
  
• Final Push Email (Dec. 15):
  “Still Time to Give — Gifts Due Dec. 20! Help us reach 100% giving!”

3. Social Media

• Weekly Posts (Nov. 15–Dec. 20)
• Photo of the Giving Tree in the gathering space
• Behind-the-scenes prep from volunteers
• Reminder of gift deadline
• Thank-you post after deadline

Sample Captions:

🎄 The Giving Tree is here! Stop by after Mass and choose a tag to help a family in need this Christmas.
✨ Want to participate virtually? Visit our website to select a gift online! <Include Link>

Always Remember:

Whenever posting about your giving tree (or any event), always include a link to its landing page so people can learn more. Invite people to share the post on their own social media and, lastly, engage with and reply to all comments using your parish’s brand voice! 

Tag Your Community Partners

• Consider any local organizations that already support your bulletin or website. Tag them in posts you make about the giving tree so that they can share your post with their community. 
  
  
• Tag ministry leaders or other ministry groups in your parish who might have their own social media presence to encourage them to share. 
  
  
• If your parish has a school or is near a neighborhood school, include them in the tag, too! 

4. Bulletin & Weekly Announcements

• Announcement in all bulletins (Nov. 10–Dec. 17)
• For digital bulletins: Include a link to the Giving Tree landing page located on your website.
• For printed bulletins: Include a QR code that leads to the Giving Tree landing page located on your website.

5. Digital Flyers

• Design a digital flyer that can be shared by anyone via:
• Social media posts
• Emails
• School newsletters
• Text messages
  
  

If you use WeCreate as your Catholic content library, there are several Giving Tree graphics of varying sizes that would be perfect to use for these communications inside. 

6. Optional Add-On Content

• Short video clip(s) from the pastor, giving tree coordinator, or other parish leaders explaining the program and inviting participation.
• Instagram/Facebook Story countdown to build urgency in the final week(s).
• Images or video of a family dropping off a Giving Tree gift.

5. Metrics for Success

• 100% tag participation by Dec. 20
• Email open rate of 35% or higher
• Increased traffic to the giving tree webpage
• Social post engagement (likes, shares, comments)

We hope this example helps in your future digital marketing endeavors! For more inspiration, tips, and tricks for the best parish communications strategies and tools, visit our blog!