May 6, 2008

People Gotta Know

Earlier this week my wife and I were part of a conversation with a handful of churches brought together in Northeast Los Angeles. Those present were about as eclectic as you could get: inter-denominational, multi-generational, multi-ethnic and people from every part of the socioeconomic spectrum. We had come to discuss how our individual churches could unite together and be one church community within our city, particularly as it relates to addressing issues of poverty, homelessness, education and other hot topics confronting us. Unfortunately, this was an historic moment for churches in Northeast Los Angeles.

In response to how we could broaden the conversations we were having on this night to the rest of the people in our church communities, an elder in the room stood up. Tony was from one of the nearby Catholic parishes responsible for the only 7-day-a-week feeding program in the area. They've gone from feeding a handful of people to nearly 150 every day for lunch, and dinner on Friday nights.

You can imagine my surprise when Tony said the majority of people in their parish did not know their own feeding ministry exists. "In spite of printing something in the bulletin every week," said Tony, "our own people have no idea what's going on." Many others in the room nodded in sympathetic frustration. The collective sigh sounded like this: "How could we get others in our church on board with social justice topics when it seems like very few others even care?"

Continue reading "People Gotta Know"

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:10 AM
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February 26, 2008

Starbucks' 3-Hour Downtime

From 5:30-8:30 this evening, there's going to be trouble. Feet will tap, heads will ache and sweat will trickle down restless foreheads. Starbucks is closing.

6 weeks ago, Howard Schultz took over the reins (again) as CEO of Starbucks. Since then, he's been on a mission to return the company to its previous form. Today, every store throughout the nation will close for three hours for "remedial espresso training." Or in Schultz' terms, "to teach, educate and share our love of coffee, and the art of espresso."

I beg to differ. This might be about a better cup of coffee, but there's a lot more to it than that, and it's pretty slick.

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Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:00 AM
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February 20, 2008

The 30-Day Sex Challenge

Here's an interesting tidbit about a church campaign to promote, well, sexuality and um, effective sexual habits. (And their current series, of course.) Here's the skinny:

• Married couples: Have sex daily for 30 days.
• Singles: No sex for you. Not even in a committed relationship. At least for 30 days.
• Everyone: Follow with Relevant Church in their series and study guide for a month.

Continue reading "The 30-Day Sex Challenge"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:22 PM
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November 9, 2007

Lessons In Not Sucking: Common Communication Mistakes

This is part three in a series on Lessons In Not Sucking. Today we discuss common communication mistakes. Here are some choice mistakes I believe get in the way of our well meaning communication and marketing.

1. We confuse the three M's (message, method, movement).
Step #1: Know your message (your call to action, your point, your purpose).
Step #2: Define what you want to happen (the movement) as a result of your message being heard/seen/experienced (attendance, action, feeling, etc.)
Step #3: Determine the best method to connect the message with the movement. The method is the bridge.

Do not get these out of order. If the method comes first (as if often does), what we get is a really cool web site that doesn't do anything except look cool. If the movement comes first, we end up with a bunch of people but no purpose for their assembly.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 7:31 AM
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April 12, 2006

How to Generate Grassroots Buzz

by Tim Bednar, Guest Blogger

A few months ago, you may have found yourself pondering the veracity of a PC game called "Mega Church" for sale on Amazon. It was a parody; I created it to satirize how we often think of church as a game. Putting the merits of this campaign aside, we all have occasions when we want to grab attention. Some say the, "currency of the New Economy won't be money, but attention". This is the story of how I got the attention of thousands of people and the lessons I learned.

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Posted by Guest Blogger at 12:15 PM
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April 3, 2006

No One Reads Your Church Brochure

Marketing guru Seth Godin recently talked about brochures and said the one thing no marketer wants to hear: Nobody reads brochures.

I didn't say it wasn't important. I just said it wasn't going to get read.

People will consider its heft. They might glance at the photos. They will certainly notice the layout. And, if you're lucky, they'll read a few captions or testimonials.

At its best, a brochure is begging for someone to judge you.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:01 PM
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September 1, 2005

Free Gas for First Time Church Visitors

With gas approaching $3 per gallon (I just paid $2.99 in St. Paul, Minn.) Clearview Community Church in Sioux City, Iowa is offering free gas to get visitors in the door. They sent us a press release yesterday detailing the event: First time visitors get vouchers good for three gallons of gas along with a free Bible and a CD during the month of September.

"We are so confident that our worship service will be the best hour of your week," says Pastor Shawn Raloff, "that we are willing to pay for your gas to get here and back. ...

"During hard times church is the first place we need to be," Pastor Shawn explains, "we want people to know that the economy may rise and fall, but God's love remains the same."

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:31 AM
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August 9, 2005

Reasons to Use Direct Mail

The church marketing company FaithSpan has a newly redesigned web site and is offering a new section of How-To PDFs. One of the best is 9 Reasons to use Direct Mail. Some of the reasons include:

• Cost effectiveness: the non-profit bulk mail rate for postcards can be as low as 4.3 cents.
  
• Target your audience: you can use different lists to either target specific demographics or saturate communities close to your church.
  
• Long shelf-life: people tend to keep direct mail postcards rather than throwing them away immediately, which improves the chances that people will pay attention and respond.
  
• More likely to be read: bulk junk mail is often thrown away unopened, but postcards don't need to be opened (duh) and therefore are more likely to be read.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 4:07 PM
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May 26, 2005

Street Teams for the Church

Stephen Brewster of Calvary Christian Center in Ormond Beach, Fla. e-mailed us about the promotional teams their churches uses to get the word out.

The voluntary "street teams" are given cards, posters, flyers, yard signs or whatever collateral they're using that particular month to promote their church and the promotional team hits the streets, plastering the info in the local community. Restaurants, gas stations, gyms, community centers, where ever people gather (posted with permission, of course).

It's the same street team approach many bands use to get the word out about a new album or a concert tour. And it seems like it could be even more effective with a church as your street team develops relationships by being out in the community.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:26 AM
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January 14, 2005

Go to Church, Win a Hummer

A Tampa Bay church is giving away a 2003 H2 Hummer. People had a chance to register during 2004 at The River at Tampa Bay Church and those eligible included first-time visitors, members who brought first-time visitors, Bible students, and those who filled out a survey. Other prizes included a scooter and a Play Station, all to be awarded during the church’s Winter Campmeeting which runs this week.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:29 AM
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January 11, 2005

Think Different: The God Pod

What if the church explored the same cross-promotional efforts as U2, arguably the biggest rock band in the world? You might come up with the God Pod.

Yes, it’s a tongue-in-cheek question, but what if the church really did think outside the box when it comes to marketing? Before 2004 making a major motion picture out of a passion play would have been laughable. But it not only happened, it went on to make more than $611 million worldwide.

Perhaps the church should borrow Apple's "Think Different" slogan.

(God Pod via Nick Ciske)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:20 AM
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November 23, 2004

Lessons from U2

Anyone who reads my personal blog or has had contact with me in the past month probably knows that I've been obsessing about the release of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the 11th studio release and first in four years from the biggest rock band in the world, U2.

All that obsessing has given me a good grasp of the kind of marketing U2 does when they release an album.

Perhaps the biggest organization in the world (can I say that about the Church?) can learn something from the biggest band in the world. Let's see.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:00 PM
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November 18, 2004

Church Sucks Flyer

We got an e-mail the other day about a fun church marketing story. Ryan Haack is involved in planting a new church in Madison, Wisc., the Journey, which will open its doors December 5.

They began plastering the community with promotional flyers (see photo inset for full view) with small lettering across the top that said, "Without love, compassion and tolerance," and then in huge letters: "Church Sucks."

The response came the same day with a call and an e-mail from a local professor, complaining that if they were really Christians they'd take the signs down, according to Ryan. The professor threatened to file a formal complaint and alert the local paper, though commented that more attention is probably what they wanted.

"Uh yeah," Ryan wrote in his email. "That's what a flyer is supposed to do, right? Get attention?"

We haven't received any independent confirmation of the story, so it's best to keep an open mind, but the scenario itself is worth considering.

Continue reading "Church Sucks Flyer"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:30 AM
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November 2, 2004

Spreading the Word about Porn

The New York Times covers XXXchurch.com in an article summarizing the anti-pornography ministry. Their marketing tactics include the slogan "the #1 Christian porn site" and a van covered with the slogan and url. They've also teamed up with a porn director to make a public service announcement about keeping pornography away from kids.

Radical tactics, yes, but they do clear the blinders many Christians have about the dangers of pornography (and the widespread use - the NYT quotes a survey that says one-third of U.S. pastors admit to viewing pornography).

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:12 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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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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September 27, 2004

Subway in the House of God

Speaking of business ventures as church advertising, how about opening a Subway in the house of God?

Seems a bit more commercial than many of us prefer, though it also sounds just like the stories you hear of a church opening a Starbucks in the foyer (is that just urban legend, or has it actually happened?).

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:05 AM
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August 26, 2004

The Farmers Market: Is Your Church There?

I've been to a handful of local "farmers markets" around the U.S. and all of them are the same. Blocked-off streets in the heart of a small town, local merchants with chintzy tables selling everything from fresh vegetables and grilled meat to jewelry only found in flea markets. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a 2002 report, the number of farmers markets around the country has increased 79 percent since 1994.

I was with my wife tonight in San Luis Obispo, Calif. (for a little 4-day getaway a few hours from home). Once we figured out we were in SLO the same night as their weekly farmers market, we understood why parking was nowhere to be found and making a left turn was going to be impossible thanks to barricaded streets.

After a nice dinner together, we strolled the crowded town finding our way through sights, sounds, smells, and people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The political climate was particularly intense as presidential backers and bashers were on every corner. Toward the end of the street, camouflaged with the rest of the merchants and across from the 500-foot grill cooking every part of a cow you could imagine, was something I have not seen at a farmers market before.

Continue reading "The Farmers Market: Is Your Church There?"

Posted by Brad Abare at 9:39 PM
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August 16, 2004

Creating Church Evangelists

A big buzz in the world of business and marketing right now is the concept of word of mouth. The idea is that advertising is dying, and rather than wasting marketing budgets on expensive commercials that aren't delivering, why not invest in your customers? Let them do the advertising for you.

If customers love your business or organization, they'll tell others. It's free advertising. It's also called customer evangelism. A blatantly religious idea is the biggest buzz among savvy marketers. It's time churches took back the great commission.

Continue reading "Creating Church Evangelists"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:13 AM
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August 12, 2004

I go to church.

Planned Parenthood is offering a T-shirt for upcoming pro-choice rallies with the simple statement, "I had an abortion." The move is sparking plenty of debate and drawing fire from Christian bloggers (Brian Baute, Tim Bednar, Dannah Gresh, etc.). In addition to the shirts, Planned Parenthood is also planning a documentary for release next year.

I'd like to see a different T-shirt promoting pride in church attendance: "I go to church."

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:41 AM
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August 6, 2004

Get Consistent, Starbucks

Every once in a while, my wife gets a hankering for finding and using coupons. This past week was no exception when she came upon quite the prize: Starbucks coupons! And more than just one, there were several winners. "Free beverage with the purchase of another." "Free drink (any kind, any size) with purchase of a pastry." "Free drink of your choice." We thought the end of the world had to be close because Starbucks has coupons!

Not so fast.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 6:18 AM
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July 26, 2004

Church Signs Made Easy

Now you can generate your own staple of americana with the online Church Sign Generator. The site even offers photos of the real thing with such witty, crowd-drawing sayings as "Do You Smell Like Jesus?" and "Stop Drop and Roll Doesn't Work in Hell."

What's up with the sometimes clever, sometimes copycat, usually groan-enducing slogans of Christian T-shirts, bumper stickers and church signs? If it's annoying in the commercial world, it might not be a good idea for the church either (telemarketers for Jesus, anyone?). Short, witty phrases may be the bread and butter of the advertising world, but they're also trite and limiting. No form of marketing can effectively deliver the Gospel, but what kind of a glimpse of God should we offer on our church signs? Or bumper stickers, T-shirts, postcards, newspaper ads, etc. ? (link via Nick Ciske)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:37 AM
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