There’s something amazing about seeing the pieces come together for a church promotion – especially when it’s on target and under budget.
Unfortunately, I haven’t always been that lucky.
For years I took a Field of Dreams approach ,”if we build it they will come,” but they didn’t. I assumed the best way to get the message out was sheer volume. Deliver the information enough times, in enough ways and the right people will respond.
There were moments of success, but in retrospect, the results were mediocre at best. The haphazard approach caused information overload in our services and advertising budget stress.
I needed a solution, and fortunately it was easier than I expected. It comes down to a series of questions I ask before starting a creative project. This 10-15 minutes of planning saves hours in creative time and cuts down on missed details and reprints.
The 4 steps to keep your church communications on budget are…
1) Know Your Goal
Why are you doing this? (is there a passion behind it, is there a problem that needs to a solution)
What do you hope to accomplish with this event or opportunity?
What story are you trying to tell through this event or opportunity?
What does a win look like?
What does a lose look like?
These questions reveal WHY we’re doing this.
2) Know Your Details
If you were sharing with someone unfamiliar with your church, what information would be vital? (Who, What, Where, When, Why, Registration, Cost, Contact Info, etc)
This question reveals WHAT you are going to share.
Don’t skip this step or answer it in your head. The act of writing it down often reveals details you have missed or thought unnecessary.
Follow it up by typing out the details so you can share them with your team and audience.
3) Know Your Audience
Who do we want to attend / participate?
Where do they spend their time?
How do they communicate?
Where do they get their information?
These questions reveal WHO you want to reach and HOW you can share with them. (ie. Students use text messages, email and social media. Retired people use printed invitations, phone calls and limited email. This will change as more tech-savvy, baby boomer retire.)
4) Know Your Budget
What can you spend on promotions?
Given your audience, and budget, what ways will you communicate?
Which ways will take priority?
These questions reveal HOW you will share with them.
Don’t be scared away if you have a small budget. It doesn’t mean no promotions, it just means you have to be smart about them. Promotions are more affordable today then ever before, if your willing to be creative.
These questions are the foundation for your communications. Over the next few months we will look at how to take the answers and put them into action. I’ll share user friendly ways to keep your message on target and under budget.
Do you have any questions you’d like to add to the list? Let me know in the comments.
This post appeared first on ChurchTechToday.com