Ah, November. Church budget time for most. Pastors, communication leaders, and members want to reach communities better for Christ, and do it in the most cost-effective manner possible. But how do we do it?
Since 4000 evangelical churches close their doors every year in America, we hear it loudly: the church can disappear in our growing communities and very few seem to notice. We must communicate the benefits of attending church better. But how? Change must occur in every church budget — starting with our church communications.
Here are 3 surprising things you need in your church budget:
- Demographic Analysis. We need to interact better with our communities. In order to engage with anyone, you have to understand them. Demographic analyses are available from a few sources (including our 20+ page religious demographic profile that’s part of our investigation process). The value of any demographic metric is the interpretation of the data. Make sure someone translates the numbers into personas and messaging keywords to help focus your communications. You need to know your communities concerns and goals. Add this to your church budget.
- Positioning Statement. People make decisions based upon what people know (or benefit) about you. We want people to want you! You must figure out how to position yourself so that your community actually considers listening to you for a solution. Not an easy task, but if you don’t have a statement (a tagline) that is different from your vision or mission statement, you’re only talking to church goers and not reaching unchurched community members. This is huge! A 3-5 word benefit-driven tagline creates a consistent foundation for your church to become known for something positive (since “church” is not perceived highly). Take a look at our determination process that leads to a solid positioning statement. Add this to your church budget.
- A Digital Hub. Churches rely heavily on failing print materials when the most effective method of communication is online. Creating a digital mechanism that communicates your messages is essential. It saves money and develops a trusted, just-in-time method of church information.
What’s in the digital hub?
– An easy-to-use website,
– social media content, and
– regular email campaigns.
Those are the tools, make sure you develop proper content for each of the tools! Of course, we help with that too. Add these to your church budget too!
You can do most of these church communication items yourself. But it’s critical to set up a proper foundation where someone walks next to you, giving you expert advice and training. We’d love to help! You can follow our free advice in our blogs and ebooks; sign up for our complete process; or simply use BeKnownForSomething on an hourly consulting basis.
Bottom line? We want to help you. Want to discuss pricing in order to add it to your church budget? Contact us today. We work with churches of all sizes and budgets.
