Author : Caroline Jordan
Marketing and churches might only seem to go together when
talking about the so-called mega-churches but in
fact it's a critical factor for the ongoing existence of
every small church. And small businesses and small
churches are very much alike.First, let's consider the similarities of small businesses
and churches. Each operates on a tight budget for
finances and other resources. People need to wear
many hats and perform a variety of necessary work.
If people don't know about your business or your
church chances are they won't patronize it. If you
aren't visible in your community no one will know
you exist. This is true whether your community is
a store front (or church front) on Main Street or an
online community representing a specialized niche.
Then, there's the survival factor. Many small
businesses fail, and churches are susceptible to
all the same challenges of cashflow, too few
customers, inability to attract good employees
(or volunteers), and changes in demographics
and the marketplace.The magic of marketing is that all those problems
can be greatly improved by the application of
good marketing principles. They work regardless
of whether your organization is a for-profit or a
not-for-profit concern.Here are some of the marketing techniques we have
applied at our church and some of the results we
have been able to achieve:1. Newsletter—Ours is written by a talented little
church mouse named Perley. We use a simple
form for people to fill out so people can sign up.
Subscribers become close personal friends of
Perley who gives them advance notice of our
events and suppers.2. Press releases—Our local newspaper has printed
every single press release we have sent them—
church suppers, work being done on the church,
fundraising efforts, concerts, publicity for our church
cookbook, photos. We know the paper and what
they like and we give it to them.3. Church Cookbook—Not only is this a great
collection of recipes, it's a marketing piece for
our church as well. It tells our story and lets
people get comfortable with who we are as a
church. It's also fun.4. Church Suppers—Not only is this a fundraiser
but it gives people a non-threatening introduction
to our church—way less scary than walking in
cold on a Sunday morning. So again, it's marketing.5. Friendly ambassadors—Small churches (and
small businesses) grow because of relationships.
Our church members all seem to be involved in
other activities in the community, and while they
don't shove their religion down anyone's throats,
they serve as ambassadors through their service
and caring.These are just a few marketing techniques that we
have in place. We've been doing this consistently for a l
ittle over two years. Here are some of the results:1. When people asked about our church, they used say,
"Is that church still open?" Now they say, "Oh, that's the
church that's always in the paper."2. Our suppers are sold out in advance every time
and we raised the price of admission so we make more
each time.3. We've raised enough funds (in an area that is
definitely not affluent) to put in a septic system, indoor
plumbing, and next month we're putting a new roof on
our historic church building. All things our small
congregation could never have afforded to do on its own.4. Our congregation has tripled. Weekly offerings actually
exceed the day to day cost of running the church.5. Our loyal workers feel appreciated and valued.6. Our visibility in the community has allowed us to
fulfill our mission of helping others.We've done all this and more by simply applying
good marketing techniques in a consistent way.
Regardless what type of business you have marketing
just plain works. Whether you're trying to build your
own business or help your local library or animal
shelter raise funds, marketing is the most powerful
asset you can have. Of course, having an "in" with
the Almighty doesn't hurt either!Caroline Jordan helps small business owners attract customers, improve cash flow, and build businesses that are both sustainable and sustaining. For more free articles, tips, techniques, and strategies for your small business success visit http://www.TheJordanResult.com
Keyword : marketing,small business,nonprofit,customers,strategies,success,cashflow,cash flow
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