How Are You Getting The Word Out?

Is it appropriate for a faith community to "advertise?" Is it effective? What kind of advertising does your congregation or denomination do?In our experience, an advertising campaign that is connected to a special event can be very effective at tapping into pre-existing interest. For example, a multi-week direct marketing campaign tied to the grand opening of a building that people in your community have been watching go up over previous months can be a great way to let them know they are invited to come take a peek inside.Of course, the campaign needs to be well done. It should communicate who you are, what you're about, and how what you have might be of value to people; but it should not overpromise.

People today are deeply cynical when it comes to the kinds of promises that are made by advertisers. In fact, according to the International Herald Tribune, a recent survey of consumers in 47 nations, conducted by Nielsen BuzzMetrics, shows that people in "developed markets" (including the U.S., Europe, and Canada) are far more cynical about advertising than people in "developing markets." 67% of people in the Philipines and Brazil, for example, say they generally trust advertising -vs- 28% of people in Denmark. The report doesn't explain why this is the case. But my guess is it has a lot to do with experience. Those of us who have been subjected to advertising overload for a long time know by now that a new car really isn't going to take us on an exciting climb to the top of the world and we're so over the idea that any meal from McDonald's will really make us "happy." Probably no one will believe that showing up to worship at your place once or twice will really "change your life," either.So, be honest about who you are and what you're telling people.The bottom line about advertising, though, is that nothing you can "buy" in terms of marketing (including direct mail, TV and radio spots, newspaper or online ads, etc.) can beat the invitation someone receives from a friend. "Word of mouth" happens in all kinds of new ways today - if your congregation doesn't have a presence in the MySpace or FaceBook universe by now, you're missing the boat - but it's as old-fashioned as you can get. People trust what their friends tell them. According to the Nielsen research:

"If consumers are turned off by some kinds of digital advertising, like text messages, pop-ups or banners, that may explain digital marketers' eagerness to work indirectly, through blogs, social networks and other kinds of online forums. Of all survey respondents, for instance, 61 percent said they trusted consumer opinions posted online.But even more consumers, 78 percent, said they trusted direct recommendations from other consumers: what marketers call word of mouth. And unlike some of the media, consumer recommendations scored highly across all markets. Everywhere, it seems, people still trust their friends."

So, what are the people in your congregation (or denomination) saying about their experience? What are they telling their friends?That's what will matter most of all.