Church marketing has come a long way from rolled-up flyers stuck in door handles. Though direct mail campaigns can work, there are so many other avenues to explore.
Read on for some ideas for church marketing that will boost your numbers.
Create a Church Marketing Plan
Churches have to have a strategic digital marketing plan in order to be successful in their church advertising.
It's not enough to try everything on a whim and hope for the best. Your marketing plan doesn't have to be complicated. You can break your plan down into quarterly sections to make it easier for you to plan and manage.
Your marketing plan should include a calendar that outlines the events and activities you will host. Don't forget to include a list of tools you can use to market your church.
There are many free online tools that can help you such as Trello to stay organized and HootSuite to schedule your posts and so on.
The main goal of your marketing plan should be to engage your followers with your messages so that they share it with others.
Don't Neglect Your Logo
In order to succeed in church marketing, you need a good logo. Your logo should be unique, easy to recognize and memorable.
Your logo should reflect your brand, your mission or vision. If your church focuses on inclusivity, your logo may include a circle of people holding hands, for example.
Your logo should reflect the personality of your brand. Whether you are modern or traditional should be clear from your logo.
A Great Website
Where do all your marketing material direct customers to? Chances are it is your website. But if your site isn't attractive, engaging or effective, all your other advertising efforts will be useless.
Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. Follow the best SEO practices and reflect your brand on your site.
You don't need to spend a lot of money getting a great site up and running many church website hosting sites provide help with building the site too.
Printed Materials
Church advertising isn't just all digital these days. Don't neglect traditional print marketing. Direct mailers, business cards, programs, offering envelopes and everything else should align with your brand.
Church Signage
Church ads and on-location signage should be practical. Your sign should be the first thing visitors see. A well-designed permanent sign at your entrances and smaller signs throughout the church are vital.
Signs help newcomers feel comfortable and less confused.
Develop a Digital Presence
Because everyone turns to Google for everything, it's wise to spend part of your budget on growing your digital presence.
This includes paying for Facebook and Instagram advertising. The great thing about pay-per-click advertising is that you pay just pennies for each person that clicks on your ad.
If people see the ad but don't click, it's free advertising akin to a billboard. Also, these paid campaigns let you target your audience extremely specifically.
Choose the neighborhoods, ages, and income groups that you want to target to boost your membership.
Broadcast Live
A Budget-friendly way to reach and engage with lots of people is to broadcast live. All you need is a smartphone and you can go Live on Facebook or Instagram.
Best of all, Facebook will automatically record your live broadcast and make it available on your page's video section so viewers can tune in mater.
Church advertising shouldn't be stale or boring. Incorporating live social media broadcasts is a modern, personable way to reach the masses.
Write Newsletters to keep Member in the Loop
A big part of church advertising isn't just attracting new people. It's also about making sure they keep coming back.
That's where a good time-proven newsletter is effective. Send them out digitally and have copies available in the lobby.
Choose between weekly, bi-weekly or monthly newsletters. Whatever works for your church and the number of events you host.
Send Text Messages
When new people show up to your church, get their details by having them sign a first-time visitor card. Or get extra tech-savvy and have visitors text an Autobot to sign in their first time.
They will input their name and details into an online form.
Then, automate an SMS message to them. It's less intimidating than a call from a pastor and has the same effect.
Add Your Church in Business Listings
It's not just people on Facebook who are looking for a church. Add your church to online and print business directories such as Yellow Pages (YP), Bing, Google My Business (GMB), Yelp, and your local directory.
Many times that is free, and if it isn't you can probably get a discount as a religious organization!
Start a Referral Networking Program
We all know the importance of word-of-mouth referrals. You can encourage members to make referrals by hosting a contest or offering incentives.
For each referral, the member can fill in a ballot for a prize. Be creative. This doesn't have to cost much to motivate your new church or temple members to invite new friends to join in.
You can also host special "new friends days" where visitors are expected and made welcome to religious services.
Be Consistent
Finally, the most important thing about church marketing is to be consistent. Target your messages to your audience and be consistent in your efforts and you will see the results.
Final Thoughts on Church Marketing
You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on church ads in order to have successful church marketing campaigns to help raise money for good causes.
A little creativity and consistent effort will make all the difference when advertising for churches and temples.
Come back again to read more great tips to help you grow your religious or non-religious organizations.
