{"id":368,"date":"2014-06-16T15:00:49","date_gmt":"2014-06-16T20:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=368"},"modified":"2015-11-10T08:16:58","modified_gmt":"2015-11-10T14:16:58","slug":"two-marketing-mediums-all-ministries-should-utilize-written","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2014\/06\/16\/two-marketing-mediums-all-ministries-should-utilize-written\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Marketing Mediums All Ministries Should Utilize"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Dr.\u00a0Jeff Lemke <\/em><\/p>\n

Every ministry can benefit from the two marketing strategies I outline in this article. But first, let me address a common complaint. Many conscientious Christians do not believe the words \u201cmarketing\u201d and \u201cministry\u201d belong in the same sentence.<\/p>\n

Who can blame them? After all, we dare not give human beings credit for what only the Holy Spirit can do \u2013 convert souls. At the same time marketing services done well require precious ministry dollars. Such reasons can make people groan when considering marketing in the annual budget. I propose that a good marketing plan can support gospel outreach.<\/p>\n

But a commitment of time and money to implement a great marketing plan can support efforts to carry out the Great Commission. Too often we think that if we are working at a great ministry, positive word of mouth will naturally take off. God will bless our efforts and the people will just come. Such an approach denies a significant tool that the Lord has provided even for Christian ministry \u2013 professional marketing strategy.<\/p>\n

Word of mouth is important and is the unifying thread of some of the best marketing plans. But word of mouth alone is not a sufficient marketing plan for good ministry. It is critical to use multiple mediums to reach a new audience with the love of Christ. I have found that two modern marketing strategies consistently help ministries reach their target audiences.<\/p>\n

Color 5×7 postcards can be mailed to a purchased list of homeowners targeted by income, age of children, and zip code. The mailings must be done at least three times per year to the same recipients and usually costs less than 25 cents per time to each recipient. The messages must professionally differentiate the service that you provide and always drive traffic to an entry web page tailored to this audience. This two-second impression is the best that money can buy. The WELS main office has tools to help in a postcard campaign, or Curtis 1000 and Post card mania are both companies that consistently do good work.<\/p>\n

Paid-per-click advertising via Facebook allows you to target an audience based on more intimate details. You can target by gender, age, zip code, and also by interests \u2013 Bible, Christian, crafters, Classical musicians, Baptists, soccer, Michael W. Smith, etc. To make full use of this medium, have a fun Facebook page and experiment with the images and advertisements that you utilize. Pay-per-click campaigns work best in on-and-off spurts that last for about one month at a time. Rather than using your personal account, you will want to create a digital assistant (fake Facebook person) who will manage the account. Also have this digital assistant collect a group of your alums. It is a free alumni database that updates automatically. Have a landing page on your web site that is tailored for your advertising audience. Simply being on Facebook is underutilizing this platform. Be sure that your school shows up right next to the pictures of family and friends that people spend time perusing. Commit substantially to a pay-per-click advertising campaign on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Imagine a parent viewing your professional postcard or Facebook ad and then going to talk with their neighbor who attends your church or school. That is great word of mouth in action. These two professional marketing tools at our disposal \u2013 regularly sent targeted postcards and purchased Facebook ads \u2013 can be utilized very effectively to carry out the Great Commission.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jeff Lemke is the Director of Admissions, Marketing, and International Programs at St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul. He is a graduate of St. Croix LHS, Wisconsin Lutheran College, and Bethel University (MS Organizational Leadership and PhD Educational Administration). <\/em><\/p>\n

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