SM GROWING YOUR CONGREGATION MARKETING & MEMBERSHIP Valerie Holton – Linda Laskowski –

Membership Journey SM INTEREST EVANGELIZE WORSHIP FELLOWSHIP COVENANT LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT Greeting Visit 2 nd Visit 3 rd Visit PR/Website/ Marketing Point of Entry Programming: Worship, RE, Adult Ed Small Group Ministries

SM MARKETING Providing customers with products and services that they need or want Marketing is a process for making concrete decisions about what the congregation is going to do, and not do, to achieve its mission

SM SEGMENTATION & TARGETING What are their needs? What do they care about? Who are your competitors? What are you going to offer? Who do you want to serve? MEASURING RESULTS COMMUNICATION TACTICS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH & DISCOVERY COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS How are you going to promote? How do you know you’ve been successful? Strategic Marketing Process Question#1 What Is Our Objective?

A Market Place Audit: Who Do You Currently Serve? SM

SEGMENTATION & TARGETING What are their needs? What do they care about? Who are your competitors? What are you going to offer? Who do you want to serve? MEASURING RESULTS COMMUNICATION TACTICS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH & DISCOVERY COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS How are you going to promote? How do you know you’ve been successful? Strategic Marketing Process What Is Our Objective?

Research & Discovery Tools The Uncommon Denomination SM 1.Focus Groups 2.Interviews 3.Percept Data: perceptgroup.com Ministry Area Profile: UUA price: $225 (vs $315) 4.Questionnaires On-Line: The Uncommon Denomination

SM SEGMENTATION & TARGETING What are their needs? What do they care about? Who are your competitors? What are you going to offer? Who do you want to serve? MEASURING RESULTS COMMUNICATION TACTICS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH & DISCOVERY COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS How are you going to promote? How do you know you’ve been successful? Strategic Marketing Process How Are We Going to Promote?

Communications Tactics The Uncommon Denomination SM Direct Mail Marketing Part of an overall strategy Cost Effective Targeting: Mailing List is the most important part of the process – –40% of its efficacy The Uncommon Denomination

UUA Postcards SM 5 ½ by 8 ½ $20 for 100 postcards –back panel for your message Postage postcard rate

Oversized 6” x 11” Graphic Files National Campaign Postcards

Smaller 4” x 6” Graphic Files New Campaign Postcards

Targeting Your Audience SM Geographically Demographically: List Brokers Psychographics/Lifestyles - Claritas New Homeowners Lists – – Organization/Community – –Subscriber Lists –Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, CARE, National Defense Fund, etc.

Direct Mail – Other Suppliers SM Modern Postcard: Tribune Direct (subsidiary of Chicago Tribune) $99 for 500

Google Ad Words Create Ads Choose Key Words – what people search on to find you Customer click – you pay per click, not when ad is shown. Set daily and total campaign limit Can buy by geography

Google Ad Words

Imagine a religion... where people of different beliefs worship as one liberal faith. Total Clicks: 1,569 Content Network Clicks*: 642 Search Result Clicks: 927 Click Through Rate: 0.12% Average Cost per Click: $1.01 Total Cost: $1, Top Keywords: church – 800 clicks spirituality – 106 clicks Google Ad Words * Content Network Clicks refer to clicks where our ad has been posted on a site with a relationship to Google and deemed relevant to our ad and keywords; as opposed to Search Result Clicks, where our ad has come up during a regular Google search. Unitarian Universalists Unitarian Universalists Find a Tampa Bay area church of caring, open-minded seekers. Total Clicks: 961 Content Network Clicks*: 33 Search Result Clicks: 928 Click Through Rate: 1.11% Average Cost per Click: $0.53 Total Cost: $ Top Keywords: unitarian – 287 clicks unitarian universalist – 177 clicks unitarian church – 176 clicks

Creative Materials SM Regional Campaigns –Newspaper Ads –GLBT Ads –Graphics & Photos –Radio Spots –Website Banner Ads –Bumper Stickers –TV spots

Creative Materials - Billboards

Creative Materials – GLBT ads

Creative Materials – TV Ads

Creative Materials – Print Ads National Campaign Print Ads Outdoor Banners Tagline Graphics Bumper Stickers Postcards

SM SEGMENTATION & TARGETING What are their needs? What do they care about? Who are your competitors? What are you going to offer? Who do you want to serve? MEASURING RESULTS COMMUNICATION TACTICS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH & DISCOVERY COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS How are you going to promote? How do you know you’ve been successful? Strategic Marketing Process Question#1 What Is Our Objective?

SM  Join UUA PR list ser:  E-Newsletter – easy to forward to a friend  Create a Speakers Forum or Music Program  Public Relations Plan  Guerrilla Advertising  Niche newsletters – Sierra Club, GLBT, Park District  Niche websites  Art House Theatres, Performing Arts  Cable TV  NPR pooled sponsorship buy  Giveaways – auto sun screens, coffee mugs, bumper stickers,  Members Bring a Member Campaign:  DVD “Voices of a Liberal Faith” Guerrilla Marketing Ideas

Measurement Tools The Uncommon Denomination SM 1.Focus Groups 2.Interviews – first visit and exit 3.Tracking Forms 4.Questionnaires On-Line: Mystery Worshipper The Uncommon Denomination

SM  Formalize Structure – one representative per congregation  Regional Website (ongoing)  E-Newsletter  Workshops related to hospitality & welcoming  Area wide Speakers Forum, Music or Social Action Projects  Hire a Public Relations Consultant  Targeted Direct Mail  Mystery Worshipper  Website Critiques  Gay Pride Activities  Google AdWords  Blogs, podcasts CLUSTER OF CHURCHES -POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES Regional Marketing Group

Other Resources SM  Religious Left Gear:     Evangelical websites  Marketing for Congregations,  By Shawchuck, Kotler, Wrenn, Rath  Purpose Drive Church, Rick Warren