Archive for Church Branding
How do you reach your target audience?
Posted by: | CommentsThis question and request came from Becky who happens to be a talented designer and a wonderful friend of mine.
I’d love for you to talk about “targeted marketing.” I’m working with a church who doesn’t have a clear vision of who they are trying to reach and what interests, motivates, or captures the attention of that group. So, I end up designing based on the psychographic of the elder board. Not effective for outreach.
What’s the best way to uncover the mindset of a target? I don’t think the Church leadership spends enough time with the unsaved or de-churched to know how to market to them (which may mean they shouldn’t even try). I’m pushing a big rock up a steep hill and I’m about ready to quit.
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The first problem is that this church doesn’t know their vision and purpose. If they don’t have a clue to what the target is, you obviously will never be able to hit a target. The first thing that needs to be done in this case is they need to spend time figuring out who they are, what God’s called them to do, and where they desire to go in the next three to five years.
There is nothing wrong with branding or designing with the current demographic of the elder board or congregation in mind because people are going to see through the cosmetic upgrades anyways. If you paint a house without scraping the old, flaky paint off first, your new paint will only stick for a bit before it reveals the shoddy underbase again. The church may want to spend a season of prepping themselves to ensure they aren’t selling a pretty facade over a cracked foundation. It doesn’t mean they should stop trying to reach others but disclosing all the facts, good and bad.
The best way to discover the mindset of any audience is hanging with them. Maybe it means going to bars (and guys, places with a fire pole are not included – unless it’s a fire station), sitting in the smoking section, learning to skydive, signing up to help at Boy Scouts, hanging out at truck stops, or dare I say it -getting your hands dirty and serving where there is a need outside of church. Jesus didn’t hang at the synagogues and say “come to me right here and I’ll meet your needs” or read a book on his target audience…He went out into the world and learned first-hand the needs and mindset of the people. I don’t see any other way to do this other than being physically present and intentionally missional in our community.
Keep up the great work and if you feel the rock is going to roll over you, it might be wise just to get out of the way and let it roll on!
What's Your Question about Church Branding or Marketing?
Posted by: | CommentsI’m always looking for new topics to post about or to discuss and I’ve noticed some interesting key words that have lead people to this blog. So I am going to throw the ball onto your court.
Do you have specific questions or interests that you would like to talk about when it comes to church branding, church marketing, or church media? If so, please feel free to respond to this post by commenting your idea or question, or e-mail me at jamesdalman(at)gmail(dotcom). Thanks!
The Absolutely Best Branding Tip for Churches
Posted by: | CommentsI thought about writing a 5 step program or seven point bulleted list on great tips for branding or marketing your church but here’s what I decided – one main point is what you really need to know. Do you want to know what that is? Then read on…
I’ve primarily been helping churches to communicate through brand identities, print and web media, and buzz marketing campaigns for the last four years and without fail I always get some contacts or inquiries who ask me the golden question:
“How can we be like __________________?”
You can insert Mars Hill of Seattle, Granger Community Church, National Community Church, Life Church.tv, Elevation Church, and whoever else ad nauseum. And here’s my answer – YOU CAN’T! Nor should you want to try in any way. It absolutely has nothing to do with these churches. It has everything to do with being yourself!
I have grown weary of church marketing, church branding, and church design because it is a rare day where I visit with church leaders and church planters who tell me they just want to be true to themselves and want to communicate the uniqueness of their church. The best example I can give you of this rarity is The Dialogue Church and Steve Jesmer. Steve is radically different and I love it! From day one he has always desired to be what God has called “DC” to be – even if that means insane ideas, failure, blank stares, or slow growth (and yes, there were some ideas that I thought were just plain crazy) – but every time I get the opportunity to visit with him it is refreshing and a blessing! Steve Jesmer is authentic.
That’s how all churches need to be. No, I don’t mean like Dialogue Church but the focus to be true to your brand or flavor, regardless of the outcome. I’ve seen many churches preach authenticity and “being real” but it’s all a facade. They seek to become the next “Innovative Church in America” or want to walk in the shadows of the big dogs. It’s time to just be “brand you” whatever that looks like; small, medium, large, innovative, technologically challenged, hip, not hip, etc. Look at the best of what is on the inside and be that and not someone else.
So my point is this…be yourself! It’s OK to use strategies, ideas, and input from other churches but make sure it fits your church and your style. Don’t copy another website, sex series or provocative campaign because Tony’s church got some killer buzz. Don’t be a poser. Figure out who your church really is and communicate it. It’s absolutely the best thing you can do for branding and marketing.
Is Bible Thumping Effective?
Posted by: | CommentsI recently got involved with a post discussion that relates to churches using “pop culture” to share the Gospel or as an aid for weekly sermons – and whether that is a sin. I don’t want to open a can of worms so I won’t link to the post right now (and that is another discussion altogether) but one of the things that disturbed me was the approach that some Christians take when commenting or giving their two cents.
Discussing one’s view is great. I think that it is essential we debate on different topics and learn from others about the way they see things. But I do not agree when a Christian begins to get hateful or becomes self-righteous by attempting to throw Scripture at another so that they can “prove” they are right when there is no decisive way to “win”. For example, we can say that the Bible speaks clearly about Jesus being the Son of God and God in the flesh. There is no dispute in that. We can discuss the topic of speaking in tongues and agree to disagree that some believe it is a valid gift today and others who do not. This is a non-essential that can go either way.
What has really chapped my hide is that I have been involved in many blog posts where a devoted, hardcore Christian will respond with an air of superiority and pride – and do all they can to “thump” Scripture into the heathen’s head (believer or not) and whose only purpose is to prove their point as if God is awaiting their great spiritual victory. I am all for sharing correct teaching and Scripture. I think too many people have backed down from what they believe in, but there is a way to dialogue these beliefs in a way that isn’t condescending.
How we approach conversations is very important as Christians. This is one reason there is SO MUCH division in the Church today and why most non-Christians don’t want to even hear what we want to share. What do you think? Is “Bible Thumping” really and truly effective for today’s culture?
How Many People Got Saved in Your Church this Weekend?
Posted by: | CommentsI hate numbers! Maybe it’s because I almost failed the lowest math class one could take in high school or because I am right brained and can’t grasp integers or fractions. Or maybe it could be that many church leader’s blogs seem to repeatedly talk about the number of people they saved last weekend, how much money they are spending for that new tricked out facility, or the goal to break 700 or 10,000 people this weekend. Honestly, it is starting to really turn me off to some Christians!
I realize that healthy growth is important for a church and that people should becoming devoted followers of Christ because our churches are obedient to Matthew 28:19-20, but some churches are starting to act like Fortune 500 companies. I read blogs every Monday and Friday to keep up with culture and church life. It is simply astonishing how numbers, name dropping, or egomania seems to be the topics of discussion as if it’s some type of trophy that church people and leaders should be striving for.
Is our calling or our mission really about who we are speaking with at the next “bigger than life” conference or how many people got saved as a result of our kick-butt message last Sunday? To me, and this is only my opinion, I feel this is not any different than the Pharisee’s in Jesus day. They were about the image and the show. What we need is more discussion about bringing unity to the Body of Believers and things that are more beneficial to the Kingdom. Less of self, more of Jesus.
