A Matter of Perspective
Posted on 02. Nov, 2010 by Lee Bezotte in Headline, Marketing Basics, Marketing Blog
Oftentimes, when a church prepares a marketing piece, decorates the foyer, creates a new logo, or builds a web site, the leadership reaches out to get input from people who all have the same perspective. They ask the insiders, those with a front row seat to the church. These people usually have similar opinions and tastes as the leadership and the marketing becomes inbred. It appeals to those that have already bought in, instead of those the organization is trying to reach. These campaigns usually end up looking culturally out of touch and outdated to outsiders and are a complete waste of time and money.
So what can be done? Here are a few suggestions…
Get input from people who do not go to your church. It’s so easy to become isolated in our own little church world. Step outside of it and get input from other people!
Get input from unbelievers. I’m not sure why we shy away from this one. Corporations spend lots of money to get insights from potential customers so why can’t we? Ask your seeker friends what they think of your marketing materials. Ask them point blank what turns them off about it. Your seeker friend is your target audience so his or her input is extremely valuable!
Give them permission to be honest. So many times, we work hard on a project and really hope people will like it. When we ask for opinions, people sense that and are afraid to give an honest answer. Let them know it’s OK to say that it stinks. It will help you produce a more effective campaign and save you from wasting a bunch of money.
One more thing. Here’s a great idea for church leadership wanting to get a fresh perspective on their church. Ask someone who’s never been to their church before to visit and give an honest critique. Have that person take notes about the friendliness of the hospitality team, the placement of the chairs, the quality of the children’s ministry, the cleanliness of the restrooms, how well the platform was lit, the volume of the worship, etc. An anonymous walk-through like that can shed a lot of light! If your friend has a hidden camera, that would really help too! (I have one that I use from time to time.)
So remember to gather many perspectives. Each one matters and will make a difference!
4 Responses to “A Matter of Perspective”
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Hi. I'm Lee Bezotte, founder of Insparket Media. After years in ministry, I decided to partner with churches, ministries, and non-profits to assist with their marketing efforts. I know the challenges of getting the word out in a creative, effective, and economical way. My passion is to see you succeed in a way that generates enthusiasm, fosters community, and helps your organization make a difference.
How about the Gospel? Maybe that’s the problem. People shouldn’t want to go to a church based on the fact that it’s culturaly “relevant”, have cool music, lit well, etc. People should want to go to church because Christ’s redeeming love and power are changing lives. I’m not against marketing, I’m against marketing being lifted above Christ.
You’re right! People should want to come to church for those reasons.
That’s a good point! We’re trying to reach people that don’t go to our church. Why not ask some people that don’t go what they would like to see? Could be enlightening! My guess is that most church leaders don’t ask because they don’t really want to know what seekers would like to see. They’re afraid it wouldn’t be what they want to do.
Lee,
Thank you for pointing out a key factor in any church outreach effort…we must think about who we are trying to reach vs. appealing to our own sense of God and why He matters.
People often confuse the medium vs. the message. Marketing isn’t a four letter word but a way to convey an idea and why it matters to them. We need to BOTH convey the truth of the Gospel AND make it relevant to the receiver.
Jesus did this all the time. Many of the parables would be considered “watering down” the theology, but instead it conveyed God’s love and grace in a compelling way.
The same is truth for us. We can either speak to ourselves or we can re-present Christ in a heart or mind opening way.
Which do you think Jesus would want?
I’ve written an e-book on how to “Connect with Your Community” on my blog Flock:ology in case you’re interested. Let me know what you think!
http://www.flockology.com/connect.html