My church, ClearView Baptist in Franklin, TN, is in the middle of writing a communications strategy for events from the different ministries in the church. Our goal with this policy is to “balance the church’s need to speak with the audience’s ability to listen.”
We started by making a list of communication tools that our ministries are using to get the word out. Those tools were divided into five categories:
- Worship Related Tools: Sunday Morning Paper, bulletin inserts, video annoucements.
- Campus-Wide Promotion: hallway TV slides, roadside banners, hallway posters.
- Off-Campus Promotions: news release, custom mailer.
- Website: front page feature, announcement, video story, video announcement.
- Email: church-wide eblast, ministry eblast, monthly ministry eblast.
- Social Networks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
We added a timeline for ministries to use when planning their event. This strategy was not designed to add stress to the different ministries, but to help them clearly assembly a plan for communicating their events.
Walking through this exercise has helped us identify what we’re doing correctly and what areas need improvement.
Communications and marketing go hand-in-hand. Marketing is communicating your message. In the case of the readers of this blog, your message is about your event. Sitting down and spelling out your strategy for communicating your message before you start is the first step to having a successful marketing plan. Now that you have this strategy down, add the timeline. I’m always forgetting to put calendar dates down for this timeline, and then the event is a month away, and I’m scrambling to communicate that message. Don’t forget to add the calendar dates!
The list of tools your event uses maybe different than what ClearView has. You may also find different areas have better results, and therefore require time, energy and money spent on them.
What tools have been the most effective for communicating your message?
I like your concept. I am trying to get something like this started at the church I attend. In fundamental circles I think that we many times take a “Calvinistic” approach to the marketing of our events, our churches and even the Gospel message itself. The people who are suppose to be there will be there therefore we do not need to say much about it. Nothing could be further from the truth. We need to be proud of the good news that God has given us so much so that we are willing to give it our best efforts to promote it and the events and activities related to it within our churches and organizations as well as the communities in which we dwell. I also think that if we as an organizations do a good job in communicating what is going on to our constituencies and congregations it will empower them to do the same in their circles of influence.