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October 26, 2004

Industry Insider on Church Branding

Chris Busch, who apparently wishes he owned our domain name (thanks!), gives some helpful general insight to the topic of church branding. Busch works for BMC Advertising, a company that helps ministries with advertising.

Two BMC employees are blogging, Busch and Michael Staires. The two spent a day with marketing guru Seth Godin (author of Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside), which is enough to cause jealousy among anyone with a foot in the marketing world.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:37 AM
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October 25, 2004

Creating a Church Brand

The Church Report offers suggestions and tips for creating a church brand.

Important lessons include:

• Make sure any brand fits with your church's vision and mission statement. Branding only works for the long haul, so there's no sense spending money on something that could change in a few years.
  
• Make sure it's currently true for your church. Don't tout your church as kid-friendly if you haven't made those changes yet. Truth in advertising: it works for businesses, it works for churches.
  
• Make sure it resonates with the community. Is your brand going to do what you want it to and draw people to your church? While your preference for dunking over sprinkling may be important to your church, is that really the key factor that will draw people in? Not likely.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:21 AM
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Marketing Happens

"To some degree all that marketing means is communication. If we're communicating in public, I suppose that could be called marketing. Is it being done intentionally, or accidentally, wisely or foolishly? The fact that when a non-Christian in America hears 'Christian' their first thought is anti-homosexual, that's not a mistake. ... Whatever you think about homosexuality, that shouldn't be the first thing people think of when they think of Christians. Sadly, when the brand identity suggests Christians are judgmental, too often that's accurate. That's a consequence of our communication." –Brian McLaren (see our interview)

Some people like to bad mouth marketing and pretend they're above such a crass form of commercialization. But just as not deciding is a kind of decision, not marketing is a form of marketing (albeit a bad one).

The church has an image, whether we want to think about it or not. Right now that image sucks, more so than it probably should.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:28 AM
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October 22, 2004

Direct Mail Works, Really

A new report (PDF download) out from Pitney Bowes says that direct mail performs ahead of print ads, television, radio, and the Internet. Kevin Weiss, President of Customer Marketing for Pitney Bowes Global Mailing Systems says, "This research shows that direct mail does the best job of providing consumers with the information they want, when they want it, and how they want to receive it." The report also shows that:

• "The majority surveyed (34%) said direct mail contributes most to establishing a relationship with them and keeping them informed and involved with a business, followed by print ads (30%), TV (25%), radio (5%), e-mail (4%), Internet (2%), and telemarketing (0%).

• "Direct Mail is effective at building customer relationships because it is familiar (95%), convenient (94%), interactive (93%), universal (93%), private (87%), and personalized (84%).

• "Now more than ever, consumers value organizations that make an effort to communicate and build a relationship with them through the mail (57%), up 10% since a 1998 study."

Although the study was only done with 350 U.S. households, the results are more a confirmation of assumptions than a big shocker. It should also be mentioned that Pitney Bowes does have a bias as they are world leaders in mailing services and a huge partner with the USPS.

I'm encouraged to see that print ads came in a close second (30%) in terms of establishing a relationship.

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:10 AM
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October 21, 2004

Marketing is Secondary

"I don't think we should try to improve our marketing until we first go back and look at our message, our content and our people." -Brian McLaren (see our interview)

Marketing needs to come out of who a church is, what their message is and who they are as a people. If the marketing sucks, then the problem might go deeper.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:01 AM
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More Marketing Savvy, Less Theology

Bouncing off Kevin's entry about Purpose Driven Business, I am reminded of a book I read earlier this summer.

Tony Campolo, in Adventures In Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel, a book he co-authored with Brian McLaren, gives some poignant comments on church marketing. In their chapter titled "Seminary," Campolo says this:

What if the credits eaten up by subjects seminarians seldom if ever use after graduation were instead devoted to more subjects they will actually need in churches – like business and marketing courses? It is not true that with a gifted preacher, a church will inevitably grow. Good sermons may get visitors to stay once they come, but getting folks to come in the first place may take some marketing expertise.

It was a marketing degree, not an M.Div., that Bill Hybels had when he launched the tiny fellowship that would one day be Willow Creek Community Church. It's not that Hybels is a theological lightweight, contrary to some critics. His sermons are biblically sound and brilliantly relevant to the needs of his congregation – and the relevance comes not from giftedness or theological discernment, but from thoughtfully studying his congregation. As any good marketer would, Hybels deliberately surveys his people with questionnaires in order to determine what they worry about, what their needs are, what's important to them. During the summer months he reflects on their responses, studies the Bible for how it speaks to their issues, and reads extensively about the same issues. Then he schedules what subjects he will preach on in the coming year, and circulates the schedule to those on his team responsible for music and drama in the services.

The result is preaching that is utterly biblical and acutely relevant. But the process isn't something you'll learn in most seminaries. Maybe it's time that some business school courses find their way into seminary.

Right on Tony.

What's the point of all that theology in our heads if we can't even get people in the door to hear it?

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:44 AM
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October 20, 2004

Faith-Based Election

With the election only a few weeks away, many churches are struggling with the issue of how they can take part in the political debate. The fact is that as tax exempt organizations, churches are limited in the role they can play.

Republicans have been reaching out to evangelicals, but pastors need to be careful that any endorsement they give doesn't put their church's tax exempt status in jeopardy.

The IRS offers the Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations (PDF) that covers some of the common questions (see pages 7-11 for specific questions and examples).

But regardless of which candidate you personally support, it's important to remember that there's no God-approved candidate.

Continue reading "Faith-Based Election"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:28 AM
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I'm Sure She Had the Breast Intentions

Sometimes choosing the right word can be so important, as Dawn Eden points out in her aptly titled blog entry (which we're so conveniently borrowing).

Dawn points to a cringe-worthy example from the anti-abortion lobby. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to hear a lawsuit based on a link between abortion and breast cancer, the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer president Karen Malec said in a press release, "The court's decision is a miscarriage of justice."

Cringe-worthy indeed. (link via bloggedy blog)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:12 AM
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October 18, 2004

Purpose Driven Business

Business leaders are taking advice from Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life. Of course it's his earlier book, The Purpose Driven Church that they're interested in.

Now that's an odd turn of events. How often does the mainstream world borrow something from the church?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:05 PM
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October 15, 2004

A Generous Orthodoxy

Christianity today is incredibly fragmented, with Baptists and Lutherans and Presbyterians and Methodists and Pentecostals and Catholics and every other group. Some are liberal, some are conservative, and we just can't get along.

But as eras change people are crossing boundaries and adding all sorts of adjectives. I could call myself a Baptist Episcopalian, which just sounds ludicrous, but the reality is that I've found elements of both denominations that I appreciate.

That's a generous orthodoxy, one that's willing to look at all the competing ideas and give them love and respect, not just scorn because we disagree. That's the idea in a nutshell, but it has far reaching implications when we consider evangelism, missions, church, even how we relate to other religions. It's not simply a wishy-washy relativism, but a philosophy that's able to differentiate between love and approval (as any good parent knows how to do).

Brian McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy says very little directly about marketing, but in general it has a lot of implications for how the church communicates. In our interview, McLaren commented on the brand of Christianity and how it's perceived. Are we presenting an image of Christianity as judgmental, dogmatic and intolerant? Or do we present a Christianity that's loving, forgiving and peaceful?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:50 PM
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A Conversation with Brian McLaren

I had a conversation with author and pastor Brian McLaren about his latest book, A Generous Orthodoxy (see our review). We dove headlong into some controversial issues (which is pretty easy for a site called Church Marketing Sucks) like politics, marketing and Islam. While we will be pulling out some bite-size quotes, it seemed especially helpful to see the conversation in its entirety:

Continue reading "A Conversation with Brian McLaren"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:34 PM
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October 12, 2004

Meet Your Church: Freckles, Fat, and Gray Hair

Less than a month ago, during the week of September 27, Unilever's Dove brand (soaps, lotions, etc.) launched a global marketing strategy called "Campaign for Real Beauty." Dove did a similar plan in the U.K.; exporting it to the U.S. would be a natural fit.

The marketing campaign includes images of not-so-model-like women with a variety of features (older woman with gray hair, freckled girl, and a "generously proportioned woman" recruited from everyday America). At first glance the campaign seems a little odd because it doesn't fit with your typical beauty commercials or ads. After a while, you realize these women are your neighbors, your friends, and your community.

For the most part, I believe the Church is spot on for this topic when it comes to marketing the people of our churches to the people not of our churches. Lets face it, we as sinners are always in need of a makeover. Becoming more like Christ is a daily challenge for our hearts and minds that soap and shampoo can't reach.

Continue reading "Meet Your Church: Freckles, Fat, and Gray Hair"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:21 AM
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Sharpen Your Writing

Writing can be the overlooked component that makes a church newsletter the talk of the atrium or fodder for the recycling bin. Whether you're writing a monthly letter to the congregation or announcements for the bulletin, anyone writing could stand to sharpen their skills.

And what better refresher than a new tool to review or learn every week? The Poynter Institute is halfway through its Writer's Toolbox, offering of one writing tool every week for 50 weeks. You can read new and archived tips online and sign up to receive new tips by e-mail.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:55 AM
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October 6, 2004

O Pastor, Where Art Thou?

Growing up all over the USA and being involved and committed to numerous churches, I have become increasingly aware of the benefit to having some sort of relationship or at least face-to-face communication with the leaders of the church I attend. In particular, the senior pastor. Unfortunately, at the church I am a part of now, this is not the case. Over the last year and half I have interacted with some of the pastoral staff but not once have I ever been within 10 feet of the senior pastor (my wife and I are not front row kind of people).

I realize this is just as much my problem as anybody else's, but I don't like it. The church I attend is rather large and it is easy to fade into the big crowds. This was a blessing at first because my wife and I had just finished helping a church plant for 18 months and we needed some breathing room before diving back into "ministry." But now, I believe my need for connection is necessary to my health spiritually.

How does this relate to church marketing? I'm glad you asked. If I was a customer, the pastors would be the salesmen. It's their job to sell me, hook me, and make me want more every week. (Excuse the harsh comparison, I'm going somewhere with this.)

Continue reading "O Pastor, Where Art Thou?"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:34 AM
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October 5, 2004

Guerrilla Church Marketing

A million dollar advertising blitz may work for the corporate giants, but that's usually a joke in the church. Rather than trying to spend more, churches should be smarter. Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series, offers 93 Guerrilla Marketing Tips in a free 48-page PDF.

The ideas are geared for small- and medium-size businesses, but many could work for the church as well.

Continue reading "Guerrilla Church Marketing"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:00 AM
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Church Blog

Blogging isn't just a hip new trend for techies and information junkies. Businesses are jumping on the blog bandwagon.

Blog software itself enables a non-technical person to post uniform content on a web site and have it be easily categorized and archived, all without calling in the web expert. A blog doesn't have to simply comment on the latest news. Weekly announcements, sermons, prayer requests, and daily scripture are all uniform content that would be ideal for a blog. A blog is really just a technical tool that makes updating a web site simple.

Maybe your church should jump on the blog bandwagon.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:49 AM
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October 4, 2004

Common Writing Mistakes

If people aren't reading your church newsletter, maybe it's because it's not worth reading. Shoddy writing can sink any communication.

Literary guru Pat Holt offers 10 Mistakes Writers Don't See, a list geared for fiction writers but full of advice for the pen pusher behind church newsletters. The list covers repetition, adverbs, passive voice and commas, among other common mistakes.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:40 AM
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October 1, 2004

Chocolate in Church

Apparently chocolate Jesus isn't so far fetched. The Church of England is launching a new program called "Back to Church Sunday" to entice people who have left the church to return. It's more of a temptation really, offering people goodie bags with chocolate bars.

But it's not simple bribery or some lame gimmick. The chocolates are fair trade chocolate bars:

"When people come and receive the chocolate they discover it is not just a gimmick, it's not an ordinary kind of chocolate fondant. This is a piece of fair trade chocolate." says Bishop Nigel McCulloch. "The point then to make is that church isn't just about going to a cosy club, it's about belonging to an organisation which has a job of trying to bring justice and fair trade across the world."

Now there's some marketing with a message. Far from sucking, I'd imagine it's down right tasty.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:35 AM
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Evangelism & Marketing

"Any religion that believes in evangelism at its core believes in marketing," notes the Rev. Dan Webster, spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of Utah.

Wow. Couldn't have said it better myself. The Deseret Morning News (which quoted Rev. Webster) covers church marketing in a balanced and thorough article. They say a lot of what we've said, but why listen to just us?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:27 AM
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