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Marketing Your Church. Practical Ways to Reach Your Community With the Gospel!. What Is Marketing?. matching a product or service with people who have a need for that product or service.
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Marketing Your Church Practical Ways to Reach Your Community With the Gospel!
What Is Marketing? • matching a product or service with people who have a need for that product or service. • people need the Lord -- church marketing is a way of bringing people along to realize the need and find Christ.
Biblical Basis • Jesus’ presentation to the woman at the well – John 4:4-42 • Paul in Athens – Acts 17:16-34
Or, Said Another Way… • church communications • community outreach • evangelism
First Things First • no level of public relations, promotion, advertising or image building can make up for a poor product. • put your primary focus on excellence in the way your church worships, provides education, ministers and makes newcomers feel welcome.
Getting Started • assign the task – “everybody’s” job becomes “nobody’s” job. • evangelism committee. • church communications work group. • staff. • somebody.
Finding Funds • look for areas in church budget that can be tapped for communication activities. • printed items like stationery, newsletters, bulletins, etc. • special event budgets like VBS or Christmas cantata. • maintenance budgets related to signage for buildings or vans.
Create a Written Plan • does not have to be long or fancy. • look at the calendar – be consistent throughout the year. • don’t overextend your resources – either budget or people. • better to do a few things well than to do a lot poorly.
Marketing Your Church • determine your church’s audiences. • use church rolls to determine who you are reaching now. • look at your community’s demographics. • U.S. census data • Outreach Marketing • KBC’s Church Growth Team • trends in your community • plant openings/closings • new subdivisions
Ground Zero • develop a church logo and tag line in keeping with your church’s vision and its primary audiences. • establish graphic standards for all your marketing materials. • invest in yourself by using a graphic artist. • establish a pattern of excellence.
Basic Materials • church stationery/business cards. • signage for buildings and vans. • web site.
Free (or Almost Free) • word of mouth is free and is the most effective form of marketing. • news releases for press, broadcast and cable. • events. • services your church offers. • news photos. • digital cameras make this easy.
Free (or Almost Free) • web site – basic sites are free and easy to manage through LifeWay and other providers. • host community service activities. • blood drives, veterinary services, book clubs, aerobics classes, support groups, “free” yard sales, “free” car washes. • call the radio stations and/or send news releases! • send letters to newcomers in your community. • home sales listed in most newspapers.
Relatively Inexpensive • subdivision give-away. • magnets with important numbers. • microwave popcorn with “Jesus” video. • event sponsorships. • concerts – patriotic, barbershop quartets, etc. • races & fun walks. • job fairs.
Relatively Inexpensive • mass mailings. • postcards can be very effective. • clothing items. • design a shirt, t-shirt, hat or other clothing item for your members to wear.
More Expensive • paid advertising. • yellow pages. • newspapers, shoppers, specialty publications. • radio, TV, cable. • ads. • program sponsorships. • live and/or taped broadcasts.
Final Notes • measure results. • find out how they found out. • visitor cards, surveys. • follow up with people. • once people visit, it takes personal attention to keep them coming back.
