Jake Dell Office of Communication May 9, 2012. Some questions to started 2 Do you like advertising? Do you like being sold to? Is there such a thing as.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

PART ONE: WHY YOU SHOULD MARKET YOUR CHURCH

Jake DellOffice of CommunicationMay 9, 2012

Some questions to started

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• Do you like advertising?• Do you like being sold to?• Is there such a thing as good marketing?• How would you measure good advertising?

Do you like any of these? Is this marketing?

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• Chrysler 300 Commercial – “Advice”• Old Spice – “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”• Advent Greetings – “Julia La Roche”• Episcopal Church – “Thad’s Santa Monica”• Madison Area Episcopal Churches – “Remember”

Goals for these sessions

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• To explain why a parish would want to market itself• To explain how a parish can market itself

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

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• Give a simple explanation of why a church should market itself

• Identify the five basic elements of a marketing plan and give an example of each

What I won’t cover:

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• Branding and creative development• How to write ad copy• How to do social media

So, what is advertising?

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• “Advertising is salesmanship in print” – Albert Lasker• The great ones all agreed: good advertising sells product

Albert Lasker, Lord & Thomas Claude Hopkins, “Scientific Advertising”

David Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather

Are you advertisers?

Is Luke 1:1-4 an advertisement?

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Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Is Luke 1:1-4 an advertisement?

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Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Yes, Luke 1:1-4 is an advertisement!

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• Luke acknowledges his competitors• Tells us his gospel is based on eyewitness accounts• Tells us that he himself has verified the sources• Assures us that this account of Jesus’ life can be trusted even

if the others can’t be

Isn’t this “salesmanship in print?”

Church advertising

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• “Evangelism in print”• Or, evangelism by another medium• Goal is to get people to become Episcopalians

Brief history of church advertising (2,000 years)

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• Jesus’ sends his disciples to preach the kingdom of God• Epistles and gospels• Preaching revolution 12th –13th centuries• Printing revolution and mass communication• Evangelical missionary movement 19th – 20th centuries• Mainline indifference, rise of mega churches, 1970-2001• Today ...

Brief history commercial advertising (100 years)

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• Traveling salesmen• Catalog and direct mail (copy writers)• Creative revolution (1950s to present, television, Mad Men)• Digital

Ironically, commercial advertisers are often called “brand evangelists”

Evangelism and advertising share common roots, then diverge

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• Person to person (salesmen, evangelists like Phillip)• Print (epistles, gospels, tracts, ad copy, mass marketing)• Creative revolution (television, church sat this one out)• Digital

Can the church jump back in the game?

Marketing and advertising

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• Advertising is a marketing process• Good marketing triggers a response

Conversion funnel: from prospect to customer

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• Purchase intent• Brand consideration set• Sale

Conversion funnel: from prospect to Episcopalian

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• Intention: “I might like to go church”• Consideration: “I might like to go to your church”• Evaluation: “I’ve gone to your church”• Conversion: “I will join your church”

What is marketing?

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• Marketing is a coordinated strategy of sending messages to people so that they purchase your product

• Church marketing is a coordinated strategy of sending messages to people so that they join the Episcopal Church

Measuring success (commercial and church)

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• Number of inbound leads• Number of units sold / Number of confirmations

Why do I say “number of confirmations” and not number of baptisms, pledging units or ASA?

Examples of inbound leads

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• The classic pew card or visitor register• Traffic to your website• Facebook likes• Twitter followers• Word of mouth • Referrals• Walk-ins

If you market your church well, you will increase the number of inbound leads you get in each of these categories

Talkback

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• In one sentence, why should you market your church?• Can you afford not to market your church?

Contact

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(The Rev.) Jake DellManager, Digital Marketing and Advertising SalesOffice of CommunicationDomestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal [email protected](212) 716-6264Twitter: @jakedell73 and @EDNTweetsBlog: http://preachingscarf.blogspot.com/