I purchase gas at a station that’s located in the gym parking lot where I work out every morning. Their prices are almost as low as Costco but I don’t have the inconvenience of driving across town to fill up for a few pennies of savings. Sometimes you have to pay a bit more.
One day while pumping my gas, an attendant promoted their preloaded “cash card” (not a credit card) that’ll reduce their gas price by 5 cents/gallon. Lower than Costco!
I hate paying more than I have to.
Many churches are overspending on their communications when a tweak will save money and be more effective. Here are 5 communications savings for quick results:
- Slim down your Bulletin/Worship Guide. More and more, people are reading less and less. The world prefers a just-in-time online source when they need information. Don’t want to kill your printed bulletin yet? Create communication tiers to determine the FEW announcements that’ll make it to your worship guide. Edit the information down to less than 140 characters (just the key benefit and who’s invited) and point to detailed information on your website. Save big $$$ by printing less.
- Consider an Open Source Website. Churches like the convenience of subscription-based web design/hosting but it costs $$$. WordPress offers similar services and it’s FREE. After some up-front programming costs for setup, you pay only hosting (around $100/year). WordPress allows easy changes and most functionality can be added for free or a minimal charge. Over years of use, save huge! Websites aren’t going away.
- Build a Brand that’s Known for a Benefit. Imagine if the community sought you for a solution! Determine what benefit you offer, narrow your keywords to 5 or 6, and start consistently using them online and in Social Media. Imagine people requesting your information rather than pushing material. You save a lot; plus your congregation (and givings) will increase. People give to a solution.
- E-Blast instead of Direct Mail. Set up a low-cost branded e-blast. Send it weekly and have easy ways for your congregation to share the information with their networks. It’s an easy way to drive word-of-mouth. Of course, you have to have events/services/groups that people will want to share. But you save $$$ on mailing and printing.
- Move Your Online-Giving “Ad”. Only 20% of people look at the right side of a webpage. Most churches use that area for online giving requests/ads. Move the requests to the left side (or the center) and more will engage with it.
Church communications is a science (with creativity mixed in). There’s lots of research to help you do it the right way and when you can save money in the process; it’s a huge win!
Want us to check for more church communications savings or to help you become more effective? We love to help: Schedule an Appointment
