"Marketing that appeals to everyone appeals to no one." — Seth Godin
Have you ever attempted to shoot a bow? I was surprised by how hard it was to pull back the bowstring the first time I picked one up. I was equally surprised by how much easier it got once I could get it halfway.
Do you know what else would shock me? If I hit a target with an arrow. The reason why is because I do not understand how all the parts work together and how I should change my strategy based on the type of target I am shooting at.
Are you surprised by how much your church marketing efforts are not working? Like with me shooting a bow, if you do not know how all the parts work, why would you expect to hit your target?
If you want to hit your church marketing target, you need to understand how these three elements work: brand, audience, and promotion.
Your church's brand is your arrow. This is what you are going to use to aim at your target (market). Your brand is what people think about you. You create this through how people feel when they interact with your church.
The easiest way to create your branding is through the look of your social media, website, and the banners and decoration in your church. The most lasting way to create this is through legendary customer service — a.k.a. how you and your team treat people when they come to your church or interact with your church on digital platforms.
Like Seth Godin said, "marketing that appeals to everyone appeals to no one." This does not mean that you will actively exclude people. There should be a variety of people at your church. You need to know who you are trying to reach with each event, experience, and environment you create.
For example, if you want to reach families with small children (a target) with your church, you should consider how your church's social media posts impact your brand. Every photo you post on social media (branding) should not be of a 20-something laughing with coffee in their hands with other 20-somethings who do not know what it is like to be late for church because they discovered a dirty diaper right as they were walking out of the door.
Church marketing can be intimidating, but just like pulling a bowstring back is hard at first, it does eventually get easier.
You will have multiple types of people you will want to reach with your church's message of hope. Because of this, you will need to know how to change your technique depending on the audience you are hoping to connect with.
For more free resources to help you market your ministry and build your church, visit buildthe.church.
