Marketing Your Church

Slide 1: Marketing Your Church UISBC 2008

Slide 2: Free E-Book! • Make first impressions count with people who come in contact with your ministry • Spark excitement among your church members • Stay on-track with your own ministry communication plan • Keep new people who visit your church Connect with your community

Slide 4: You are a Marketer • Gospel: The Greek word ευαγγελιον originally meant a reward for good news given to the messenger (ευ = "good", αγγελλω = "I bring a message“) • Colossians 4:5: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (NIV) • 1 Corinthians 3:6: I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase. (AMP)

Slide 5: You are a Marketer • Begin with prayer, spiritual maturity and dependence on God • Ministry marketing promotion is announcing the gospel persuasively using media. • Marketing planning is good stewardship of your communication. (Much like churches who now use time management and budgeting) • Promotion is the investment your church makes in getting the gospel beyond the walls of your church

Slide 6: What is marketing? Everything you do to promote your organization – Name of your organization – “Products” or services – How you treat people – How you get referrals – How you follow-up Every contact with the public

Slide 7: Marketing Mix • Product • Price • Place • Promotion

Slide 8: Reach Your Potential! Define Your Mission – People focus (not programs) – Clear Vision – Be On Mission Develop Your Message – Know Your Target Audience – Learn Their Needs – Link Communication to Life Application Needs

Slide 9: Reach Your Potential! Deliver Your Message – Match Media to Target Audience – Share the “Good News” G.O.S.P.A.. Do the Ministry – Follow-up – Feedback – Evaluation

Slide 10: Marketing Mix for Ministry Marketing Product: • Ministries • Services • Classes • Relationships • Sense of belonging • Behaviors • Actions • Beliefs

Slide 11: Questions to ask Product: • What ministries will you offer? • How well does your ministry connect to people? • What are the life-application benefits you offer people? • How will you connect them to the gospel?

Slide 12: Judgment House •Quality Presentation (product) •Promotional Materials •Community Service •Public Relations •Follow-up plan

Slide 13: One Simple Principle that will help you reach more people: Learn to think like the people you want to reach. “Me” marketing not “You” marketing

Slide 14: Marketing Mix for Ministry Marketing Price: • Obstacles • Participation • Time • Talent • Treasure

Slide 15: Questions to ask Price: • What will people have to do to be involved? • What commitments do you expect from people? • What are the “barriers” people cross? • What “bridges” can you build on?

Slide 16: Church Planter •Promotion •Door Hangers •Biz Reply (price) •Free Purpose Driven Life Books (price) •Small groups for discussion (price) •Follow-up plan

Slide 17: How to Build Positive Awareness of Your Church: If You don’t Manage Your Brand, Someone Else Will

Slide 18: Marketing Mix for Ministry Marketing Place: • Facilities (restrooms) • Meeting locations • Counseling rooms • Cell groups • Types of gatherings • Media (Video venues, web, etc)

Slide 19: Questions to ask Place: • Where will you meet? • How can you “take it to them?” • What are the limitations of your facilities? • Can we try something new? • How clean are the facilities • Etc…

Slide 20: Ask God Anything • Survey •Print and Web •Publicity •Promotional Materials •Sermon Series •Follow-up plan

Slide 21: Develop a Personalized Playbook for Reaching Your Community: Get the message outside into the mainstream of your community

Slide 22: •Ten State Tour •10,000 Evangelistic contacts •Activate Christians to share •Roadcasting •Website and blog •Radio station call-in updates •Public relations campaign •100,000 contacts in Oklahoma March 2007

Slide 23: Think about Your “Branding” or Reputation Logos from MinistryMarketingCoach.com © 2006 Used by permission

Slide 24: Logos Communicate! • This is a sight and sound generation • You can communicate visually • What is the message here?

Slide 25: Build Your Branding with a Quality Logo

Slide 26: Integration Builds Synergy

Slide 27: Places to Brand Your Identity • Stationary Business Cards • Direct Mail • Church Bulletin • Brochure • Worship Services • Website • Events • Signage • Newsletter • Radio/TV • Public Relations • Your Location • Advertising • T-shirts/Specialty • More!

Slide 28: Using Media to Reach the Mainstream Ways You Can Mainstream Your Message: • Word of mouth • Advertising • Direct mail • Publicity • Etc…

Slide 29: Kinds of Media • Personal – WOM – Face to Face – Printed Cards and Flyers • Direct – Mail – Email – Internet – Telemarketing • Mass – Print – Electronic – Outdoor

Slide 30: Questions to ask. Promotion: • When people talk about you, what do they say? • What media will you use to communicate? • What do you want people to think when they think of your ministry? • What would get people’s attention? • Who can we reach with media?

Slide 31: Selecting your target audience media outreach • Understand who your church already reaches best (Demographic Analysis) • Understand who is not yet being reached • Understand who lives in your community that you could best reach – Demographics: What people are – Geographics: Where people live – Psychographics: How people live – Spiritual Openness – Life needs: Divorce, recovery, health, recreation, emotional support, etc • Develop a profile of the people you want to reach! (“Saddleback Sam”)

Slide 32: Maslow’s Hierarchy Find a Need and Fill it! • Physical • Safety • Social • Esteem • Self-actualization

Slide 33: How do you discover needs? • Secondary Research – Demographic Profiles (Prism Cluster, Data Analysis) – Studies others have done (BGCO Research) • Primary Research – Surveys – Focus Groups and Interviews – Study your own data!

Slide 34: Anatomy of an Advertising Campaign Background: What is the situation Objectives: What do you want to accomplish? Target Audience: Who are you going to reach? Positioning: What do you want people to think? Creative Strategy: What messages will you send? Media Strategy: What media are you going use? Budget: How much can you spend? Timeline: What is the schedule? Evaluation: Post mortem

Slide 35: Write out your marketing plans! 1. Purpose of your Marketing 2. Benefits that will motivate people to respond 3. Target Audience 4. Marketing tools (name them all) 5. What your ministry stands for (niche) 6. Your Message 7. Your budget

Slide 40: Marketing in Action 10 Knowledge r vio ha Be 1. Neg. Pos. Attitude

Slide 41: Getting Visitors is the Tip of the Iceberg! 10% Visitors and New Referrals Attracting People 30% Following-up on Prospects Establishing Participation 60% Assimilating Existing Contacts Getting People Involved

Slide 42: Ac tive Emotional Attachment, Commitment, Need for Information, Loyalty 10. Ready to Teach 9. Adapting to Being a Member 8. Joining 7. Forming Relationships 6. Limited Participation 5. Willingness to Consider Joining 4. Beginning to Learn 3. Surfing Information 2. Initial Contact and Impressions 1. Initial Awareness Pas s ive

Slide 43: How Do you Fill Your Pipeline? Getting Interest Filter Presentation Filter Bookings

Slide 44: An Assimilation Plan First Visit Next Day First Week Put information Phone Call Prospect gives in database Visit contact information Send Letter Gift Ongoing Every 6 Weeks First Month Newsletter Newcomer Invitation to Birthday Friendly Newcomers Notes Outreach Fellowship Outreach Events

Slide 45: Why Assimilation? • Prospect needs time to decide • Prolonged contact builds rapport • Personalized touches make person feel special • Helps you take advantage of contacts you make • It is relational evangelism