The marketing discipline is essential for every church. Marketing is "managing all of the touchpoints and the sum of perceptions" of a person to drive a desired behavior. In this case, it is trying to reach the unchurched and then connect them to God and our faith community.
The major problem is that going to a new place, with its own standards and rituals is a very scary thing to do. One church consultant I heard stated that "every new person that walks in through your door is in crisis." A person coming to a church for the first time is scared, usually in pain (missing something in their life, scared about raising a child for the first time, new to the community, had a problem at their own church, etc.)
You need to think about how you engage someone not in your faith community and form a relationship with them from an initial introduction to final integration into the church community. It requires stepping out of your own shoes and placing yourself in another's mindset.
A summary of how to walk a mile in another's shoes.
It isn't easy to clearly identify the target audience(s) that your church should focus on. It is critical that the church gets to know whom they are called to service and that everyone has a common understanding of it.
Here's a step-by-step guide:
Step #1: Break out of your holy huddle and go where the people are. Most church marketing efforts are misguiding because the use approaches that appeal to people already in the pews. Jesus spent 30 years understanding the people he was willing to reach. Are you willing to spend 30 days to understand your community? Learn how to become a student of your community…
Step #2: Listen in to the digital conversation. Take the time to LISTEN to the conversation which is already going on before adding your "two cents." It will give you a good sense on what is meaningful and relevant to people and will help you avoid being just another "distraction"on-line. Here is a step by step guide to get you started.
Step #3: Interact using social media to connect with your community. Too many people focus on quantity over quality when it comes to social media. Learn how your church can focus on the right things to connect with people in your community vs. bombarding them with social "spam." Be careful…you might just learn something about the people you are trying to reach. Read more on the right way to connect with your community online…
Step #4: Find data to support your observations and interactions. Many church marketers depend on their own observations to understand the target audience. Demographic data is everywhere. Now use it to turn your observations and on-line interaction into a clear picture of whom you are trying to serve. Read more about where to find demographic data and how to use it…
Step #5: Pull everything together into a set of personas. All the data in the world can't help a church marketing effort. A persona turns a pile of information and statistics into a story that people can empathize with and allows us to see people, not "target audiences." It helps everyone understand who we are trying to reach and evaluate our actions from someone else's point of view. Read more about personas…
Step #6: Prioritize the personas and use them as filter for everything you do. Clearly identifying the right target can provide focus to your efforts that will allow you to do more, with less budget with a much greater effectiveness. That's just good stewardship. Its also just good old plain common sense.
The age of the bullhorn is over…
The days of using a bullhorn to broadcast your message is over. People are tired of getting constantly interrupted in their day. People are highly skeptical of all marketing messages and will not take anyone that their word. Just because you say it, does not mean that people believe it. People doubt everything…including your church.
To create a relationship, you need to make a relevant, meaningful connection with your audience. It is critical that you take the time to understand the people in your community.
If you are serious about reaching those who are in your community, you need to put away the bullhorn and start focusing on relationships.
Related Posts:
One way to grow your congregation…SKIP CHURCH!
Getting Started in Social Media – Start by Listening.
IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!…Ways to create a connection using social media.
Desperately seeking data…learning more about your community.
Understanding your audience…Using personas to connect with your community.
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Eric – Thank you for your post. I appreciate the step by step nature of your suggestions as well as the links to your previous posts. Good stuff!