Did you know that Vacation Bible School is one of the biggest opportunities your church has for outreach? Kids love summer activities, parents love having anything to take their children to in the summer, and your staff (should) love getting to invest in the lives of children! In order to make sure that as many people as possible know about and attend your Vacation Bible School, here are two key places to focus on with your digital VBS marketing efforts.

VBS Website
One of the first places that visitors will look when trying to find a VBS for their child is Google. Because of this, it’s extremely important that you have a Vacation Bible School Website that is chock-full of information and resources that appeal to parents and children alike. 

Graphics
As you think through your VBS marketing and promotion, it’s a good idea to use branded and themed graphics throughout. Whether you are creating your own theme or using an established curriculum, you need graphics that reflect that theme and are appealing to children. For example, if your VBS is an underwater theme, make sure that your VBS website uses shades of blues, pictures of fish, and maybe even submarines. Even if you aren’t a design guru, there are resources out there that make creating and designing graphics for your website easy.

Content
The content on your VBS website will help to drive your VBS marketing and promotion. It’s important to include as much information as possible, so you can point people to your website in your VBS marketing efforts to find out more.

Here are a few pieces of content that you need to be sure to include:
- Important information including dates, times, and theme
- Pricing and payment information
- Schedule of events 
- Location including the church’s address and directions
- Contact information of your children’s pastor and other important volunteers
- FAQ’s (see examples below)
- What should my child wear?
- What does my child need to bring?
- Where should I drop my child off?
- What if they need to be picked up early one day?
- What will my child learn about?
- Can I volunteer?
- Will they be in a class with their friends?
- Video/photos of past VBS experiences at your church
- Registration forms and waivers
- Links to other helpful pages on your church website 

Social Media
It’s no secret that the best way to market is to go where people are and make your message as clear as possible. Social media is huge, so it’s your job to get your church into the right spaces and present your message about VBS.

There are a lot of social media platforms out there, so it’s important to know which ones your church and community engage with the most. Some of the most popular for churches are:
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- Pinterest
- Snapchat
- TikTok

If your church doesn’t already have accounts with these platforms, now is the time to create a few and focus on creating consistent quality content. Work with your team to put a marketing plan in place and create a social media calendar with all of your VBS promotion on it. Start early and work to make your posts engaging and creative.

For example, on Instagram consider doing a poll about what more people are excited about: VBS crafts or VBS recreation. On Facebook, post a video of a past VBS at your church to get people excited and show them a little bit of what they can expect this year.

Also, when marketing VBS on social media, it’s extremely important that you work to learn more about your audience and only post content that drives results. You should also pay attention to what posts are working and what isn’t. If nobody is engaging with what you’re posting, consider trying a different approach. 

Make Your Marketing Count
It’s amazing what a spiritual impact VBS can make in the life of a child if your staff and volunteers are intentional and purposeful. However, if you don’t work hard to organize your VBS marketing efforts, people won’t know about VBS, and children will miss out on an opportunity to hear the Gospel. Use these tips to effectively promote your event and help increase your attendance (and kingdom impact) during the upcoming VBS season. 

David Choate is the Director of Sharefaith Kids.