Category: Marketing

Podcast 007: What to ask during a Church Communications Interview

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date January 30, 2017

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This week’s tool: Backup Buddy

Schedule and save your wordpress website backup to a secondary server (Backup Buddy subscription includes space on their own “Stash” storage server) and seemlessly duplicate or migrate your wordpress website from one domain to another.

Kyler asks about what questions to ask at a church communications interview. Here are a few ideas:

Cross reference our post on creating a communications job description and ask any questions that aren’t covered in the job description.

Ask for clarification on any items that may be vague. Words that are descriptive could mean something to you that means something different to them. “Flexible hours” – Could mean I can work 30 hours this week and 50 hours next week, or could mean that I work 40 hours every week, but I get to choose if that’s mornings, evenings, weekends, work from home, etc. Are the flexible hours my choice (I can set my own schedule) or are you meaning that at the beginning of each week, the employer will tell you which evenings and morning you’ll be working and the employee has to be flexible with their hours?
Why is now the time to fill this position? Is it the first time the position is open? Has someone been promoted?
Before your interview, secret shop the church, and bring some ideas to the interview.

Have a church communications question you’d like answered? Ask it here. We’ll reply to all of them and pick a few for our podcast!

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Advertising Branding Marketing Podcast

How to create a winning church communications strategy

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date January 2, 2017

https://youtu.be/cCKycHY_lMg

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This week’s tool:

Slack:

Slack is a chat app on steroids. If you’re using a Facebook group or text message thread to communicate with your team, imagine being able to group your chats: communication projects, personal needs, funny comments, feedback, stage design ideas or communications about your upcoming volunteer banquet.

Slack includes different “channels” – chats based on topics. When you upload a file, like a proof for instance, other users can comment on that proof so you know how to make revisions.

Slack also comes with multiple add ons, so you can find an app for finances, expense tracking or communication integrations.

Dan asks a great question about how to build a communications strategy. For us, we’ve built our strategy based on 3 concepts: Branding, Marketing and Advertising give us the opportunity to build trust in every interaction. We call this TrustGlue that makes people stick around when they see we’re living out our values. Download our free ebook here:

Have a church communications question you’d like answered? Ask it here. We’ll reply to all of them and pick a few for our podcast!

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Build a Team Marketing

What Are You Really Asking? Guest Post on ThatCC.com

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date December 10, 2016

I don’t know yet what you’re really asking, but I know it’s not about a budget worksheet or about the content of your staff meeting each week. Before you make up what the other person is thinking and live like that’s the truth, ask them in a way that opens to door to hearing their genuine response.

Advertising Marketing

What’s your ‘Why?’

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date December 8, 2016

When I have a conversation within our organization about something that needs to be communicated, part of the conversation always includes “Why?” because whenever you communicate something, it sparks a response from the listener – sometimes audibly, sometimes internally and silently, but always a decision about how to respond.

If you tell someone there’s an event coming up, they are having an internal conversation – maybe ‘I’m not available, I’m not interested, I can’t wait, I’m coming for sure, I wonder if my friend is going…’

Recognizing that there’s always a conversation happening will help you communicate in a way that helps move the conversation forward, not a dead end. (One of the ways to stop from creating a conversation dead end is to avoid using these 4 words.)

Move the conversation forward by talking about the ‘WHY’.

Why would someone get off their couch on a Tuesday night and come to your event?
Why would someone get up early on a Sunday to serve on a team rather than just attend church?
Why would someone choose to add in this new ministry into their monthly giving budget?
Why would someone who doesn’t have a teenager sponsor a family to send their kids to camp?

Features vs. benefits:

In sales you mention the features, but sell on the benefits.

Mention the feature that a car has a 4 litre engine instead of a 5 litre engine. Talk about the benefit of saving money in rising gas costs.

Mention the feature that the TV has a front HD input, but sell the benefit that if someone brings over their playstation, you can plug it into the front of the TV, rather than trying to get the cable into the back of the TV while mounted on the wall.

So when it comes to announcements, mention the features of what you’re announcing (the who, what, where, when and how) but drive home the point with the WHY.

Here’s are some examples of focussing on the WHY:

Youth Camp – Selling the features:

We have a youth camp coming up in 6 weeks. Parents your permission slips and fees are due next Sunday. We have some families who can’t afford to send their teenager to camp, so if you’d like to sponsor them, stop by the guest services kiosk.

Youth Camp – Selling the WHY:

Remember that feeling after youth camp that you were coming back to make a difference in your school, your home, and your community? Many of us are still connected with friends we made at youth camp, and have memories of how those few days away impacted our lives, and we want to be sure all of our teens have that same experience.

Parents, stop by the guest services kiosk to complete your student’s registration. If you don’t have teenagers, we have sponsorship opportunities available for anyone who would like to impact the life of a student who otherwise may not be able to go to camp. Stop by the guest services kiosk to complete your registration or sponsorship today.

Small Groups – Selling the features:

We have small groups that meet every Tuesday night at 7pm for dessert and coffee. They’re at different homes in our city, so stop by the guest services kiosk to pick up a list of small groups meeting this week and register for your group.

Small Groups – Selling the WHY:

If you’re looking to meet some new friends at our church, or learn more about the foundations of the bible, one of the best ways to do that is by connecting with a small group. We have coffee and dessert and casual conversations every Tuesday at 7pm. These groups meet all through our city, and if you stop by the guest services kiosk, they can help you find the group closest to your home or the group that best matches your study interests so you can start or continue to build friendships with other believers.

Try transitioning your announcements, social media posts, email newsletters, and volunteer pushes to focussing on the WHY. I guarantee with a little practise that your response rate will be better than ever.

Comment below with how you’ve seen this working for you!

Branding Build a Team Guest Services Marketing

The 4 reasons people come to your church

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date November 25, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS5oYPVcYow

There are 4 reasons why someone comes to your church – not just the first time, but every time. This person may change their reason over time, but how you communicate with them will help determine why they come back.

First, I’ll outline the 4 reasons, then how to connect with those people based on their reason.

1. Compulsion

With Compulsion (or conviction) these people come because they believe it’s the right thing to do – not necessarily because they want to, but because of an obligation or guilt if they don’t. This could be coming to Mothers’ Day service to make Mom happy, coming to their niece or nephew’s Christmas concert, or showing up because they’re scheduled for nursery and don’t want to let someone down.

Maybe church is part of their tradition at Easter or Christmas, even though they aren’t really sure (or not interested in) where they stand with God, or they feel obligated to be in church our of guilt to make amends with God.

2. Curiosity

This is when someone sees a friend who shares a Facebook post, or find your video on youtube or drives by and sees your sign, or gets invited by a friend. Hopefully they have an idea of what to expect from your church, but until they experience it, they’re curious as to what that experience is like. It could be hesitancy, or excitement. They’ve come through the door not entirely sure what to expect.

This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s their first visit – maybe they’re curious about your new series, or new pastor or haven’t been in a while or just moved back to the area and want to know what church is like now. It’s even possible that this person comes every week, and their curious about your bumper video or to find out what songs your worship team will pick.

Unfortunately, once the novelty wears off, so will this person’s curiosity, so you have to move them to another reason to come back.

3. Community

This person likes to be part of something. They love to see the same faces at the same time, shake hands, invite in new people and build friendships. For these people, serving is a privilege: a chance to be part of the ‘family’, and the chance to get together for coffee or a meal after church. This could also reflect that they like your style of worship or the way people respond to the speaker or a monthly social event your church hosts.

Sometimes a person who is focussed primarily on community will come weeks or months before getting saved or committing their life to Jesus, since it’s possible that’s secondary in their mind to the community. They could eventually stop coming to your church and get involved in a weekly soup kitchen or other community organization or even take a job that requires them to work every weekend where they feel a stronger attachment to community.

4. Commitment

This is the bullseye on the target where you point people to. If they’re coming to your church because of their commitment, this is vision and values centered, and starts to become part of who they are. You’ll hear them say “I’m part of XYZ church” rather than “I go to XYZ church.”

Very little (if anything) could dissuade them from being part of your church, serving the assignment God has given you and connecting others to the vision. When a new initiative is released, they figure out how to get behind it.

How to move people toward Commitment

Knowing that commitment is the bullseye, how do we communicate in a way that draws people there?

Generally (and loosely) speaking, if someone starts with Conviction / Compulsion, then the next step is curiosity moving to community, then commitment. Some people skip the “Compulsion” stage and start with Curiosity > Community > Commitment.

Compulsion to Curiosity

Capitalize on the opportunities you know are going to be well-attended by the compulsion people. When your kids sing at the Christmas Concert, invite those visitors back for Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, promote your January series. Host a Valentines dinner and send out an email to everyone who has visited your church only once in the past 12 months. On Easter, talk about your Summer events. At your summer event, talk about your back to school service… try and create ways to spark some curiosity.

Curiosity to Community

Talk often about the community you’re creating. This is a shotgun approach helping everyone who came because of any reason to find a way to get connected. As people move through the different reasons, there will always be a need for community, even if it’s not the driving force.

Play on people’s curiosity to attract new people to your church – don’t try and attract them using compulsion. Get them through the door based on their curiosity, then talk about your community as a way for them to come back.

If you haven’t already, read here about how Buckhead Church in Atlanta creates a “Come back” experience. They’ve found ways to get people connected and building a community from the moment people come into their property.

Community to Commitment

First, let me remind you that even though you’re moving this person to come back because of commitment, never give up on piquing their curiosity or talking about community.

Move people from coming for community to coming because of commitment by modelling it for them – give them hope, give them a family to be part of, give them a goal and a vision and help them find their place there.

Show videos of families who are in the commitment realm and talk about that journey. Model commitment in those who are put in leadership and help leaders who slip into compulsion to restore their excitement for the vision.

Thank your committed people often, and let those in the compulsion, curiosity or community category see the fulfilment of bringing people to know Jesus by living out your church’s values and vision.

I would love to hear how you’ve seen these steps working for you. What are some of the ways you’ve found to move people toward commitment? Leave a comment below!

Advertising Marketing Tools

5 Ways to maximize your email list: Guest Post on ThatCC.com

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date November 16, 2016

Your email list gives you access unlike any other form of media. If you can convince the recipient to open the email (1 click) then you have complete control over what is communicated, unlike your website where people have to go out of their way to visit, or Social Media where your exposure is restricted by someone else’s metrics.

Build a Team Marketing Tools

Ask More Questions

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date October 18, 2016

We all know it, but sometimes we shy away from doing it: Ask more questions.
It’s the solution to not knowing enough, having misinformation, being unsure, and being sure while being clear. It’s the way we know how many pieces to print, what style the design needs to be, what emotion the message needs to create and by when we need to have sign ups or registrations.

So, why is it that we sometimes shy away from asking enough questions? Here are the 3 of the most common reasons:

We’re not sure what questions to ask:

How many times do you get part-way through a project and realize you didn’t ask a necessary question, or how often do you get a proof back from a department, and they say “This is nothing like I was anticipating…”? – In that moment you may be frustrated, realize you’ve wasted time, or get frustrated at the feedback because that person doesn’t ‘get’ your design. It’s ok. You didn’t know you needed to ask that question, but there are 2 things you need to do in that moment:

Ask – once you realize you didn’t ask a question, ask it now – don’t wait!
Write it down – when you realize you’ve forgotten to ask a question about a project, write it down and remember to ask it next time.
Create a Project Scope Outline – when you’re going into the project, ask how many copies need to be printed, by when do we need it in hand, will it be outsourced, will it be used on Facebook… etc. Develop your process of what questions to ask (See some ideas at the bottom of this blog post.)

ACTION STEP: Next time you sit down to start a new project: end the conversation with “Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wanted to add?” Sometimes the other person will say “oh yeah, I need to have it by Thursday…” or “Can I get it printed large enough to fit in this frame?” or “Could we have 200 on hand by…”

We’re afraid asking will look like we’re incompetent:

How many pieces do you want printed? What if that sounds like “I have no idea how many kids we have on a weekend.” or “Would you like a 4 x 6 postcard or an oversized 6 x 8?” could sound like “I’m not sure what size a standard postcard is.”

At the end of the day, you’ll look way more incompetent if you print 200 pieces of 6 x 8 then realize they don’t fit into the 200 4 x 6 envelopes that were already handwritten with addresses.

ACTION STEP: Ask the question in a different way: “There are a lot of options and I want to help you choose the best option for your needs. Are you thinking that you’ll mail these out or hand them out?”

Or, the next possibility…

I don’t want to bother someone who’s not detail oriented by asking for details:

I know the feeling… someone says ‘You’re the web guy, just build me a website.’ or ‘You know the style I like, just go for it’ and we all know this means ‘I’m going to reserve the right to veto anything, and if you don’t get it right, I’m going to question if you really get me.’ This is especially difficult if it comes from someone who’s in leadership – they’re busy and you don’t want to bother them, but you want to get it right.

ACTION STEP: Create a mockup. Cut out a piece of 4 x 6 then cut out a piece of 6 x 8. Scribble on it with a pen with info, logo, a box that says “pic goes here”. Even though you’re getting the info you would have asked for, this looks a lot more appealing to someone who’s not detail oriented. If you cut out a 4×6 and they say “wow, that’s really small” then they’ve answered your question.

If they’re getting flustered with the details, or it’s taking longer than they anticipated, setup a time to discuss again and bring a mockup to that meeting.

A solution that covers all 3 is to build a process that asks all of the necessary questions. For some, this is a PDF, a printout or an online form that asks if it’s print or digital / quantity needed / timeline needed by / collects who, what where, when, why, how questions / target audience / discovers if they have any specific designs or styles in mind. A good starting point could be CMIForms.com – a FREE tool for incoming promotion requests.

Despite which of these categories you fall into, and to what degree, the solution is going to start with you. No incoming request form is going to be 100% complete, and you’re always going to have to ask a question – learn to be confident in what you bring to the table, and be willing to consider what is the best way to relate to the other person to get the best input they have to offer based on their personality.

Advertising Branding Marketing

3 ideas not to be confused: Branding, Marketing & Advertising – Guest Post on ThatCC.com

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date October 16, 2016

There are 3 concepts that I’ve seen confused in the communications world. Sometimes they’re used interchangeably and sometimes they’re not used at all, but I’ve found that the most effective communication strategies, whether in church or in business, come from teams who have figured out how to distinguish them.

Here’s how I would define and describe these 3 categories: Branding, Marketing and Advertising. (Side note: I’m not suggesting these are universally true definitions – like straight of our Websters Dictionary – but for me, this is how I describe these concepts in a distinguishable way)

Advertising Guest Services Marketing Tools

Our First Time Guest Follow Up Process

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date October 14, 2016

(This post contains affiliate links. I’ve used and love TextInChurch.com – If you follow one of my links, I get a commission for the referral, and you’ll get a bonus from using my link.)

A key step to building a relationship with people is not just getting them in the door the first time, but getting them to come back. (see some tips from Jason Young of Northpoint Ministries about creating an experience that makes people want to come back)

The question still remains, how do you follow up with someone after they’ve visited for the first time?

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen with a follow-up process in churches is it expires too soon… it’s too quick or too short. If someone has never been to church before and comes this Sunday, then they changed the schedule that they’ve adopted for their whole life by coming to church this Sunday.

If you send one piece of correspondence (even if it’s really good and they come back next Sunday) then stop corresponding, you’re hoping that someone who has spent decades of their life not going to church is going to change that pattern in 2 weeks.

What we like to do is roll out some invites to come back to Sunday service, but also opportunities to connect in other ways like small groups, special events or an invitation to have coffee with a pastor. We’re trying to reach a variety of different people in a variety of different ways.

I’ll also say that this process is not been perfected. We implemented it using TextInChurch.com within the last year (as of when this blog post is being written) and it has undergone 1 re-evaluation. I expect it will take many more evaluations to get us where we want to be.

There are 2 ways to implement TextInChurch.com – one way is to invite first-time guests to text a keyword like “New” or “Guest” to your text number to begin the automated process. Another way is to collect those guests names, emails and phone numbers on paper (like a connection card) and then enter them into the system to follow up. We offer our guests both options.

(Text in church also offers a pre-made follow-up setup – you can adjust it as you needed. We decided to use portions of their template and customize other aspects)

In a snapshot, here was our process when I was working at Life Church. Envelope on the left is email, phone on the left is a text message:

What this process above doesn’t show you is that the system automatically kicks back a reply that says “Thank you for joining us this weekend. Please click here to complete your information.” It asks for name, email and cell phone if that wasn’t manually put into the system)

• 1st Email – Immediately – this email comes from ou Care Pastor’s email address, and if someone hits reply, it goes straight to him.

Thanks for joining us this weekend at Life Church. I hope that you had the opportunity to Encounter God and Experience Life. If you have any questions, please just hit reply to this email and I’d be happy to answer them for you. You can find out what’s coming up by visiting our website: lifechurch.net

See you next Sunday, 9am or 11:15am!

Pastor Example

Team Pastor, Life Church

• Text that goes out Sunday – same day they visited:

Thanks for joining us this weekend at Life Church. Connect with us online: Like us on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1I4IM8k or on twitter: http://bit.ly/1T54b82

• Text 5 days on Friday:

Our team is looking forward to Encountering God and Experiencing Life with you this Sunday at Life Church: 9am or 11:15am!

• Email in 4 days (Thursday) first week:

I’m really excited for this weekend coming up at Life Church and I’m looking forward to having you join us again as we Encounter God and Experience Life.

We have 2 Sunday services: 9am or 11:15am. If you’re not available to join us on campus, you can also watch online: LifeChurch.net

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Looking forward to seeing you again!

Pastor Example

Team Pastor, Life Church

• Email 8 days later (hopefully after they visited the 2nd time, but worded like they can catch up with us if they missed it).

God is speaking to us in incredible ways at Life Church as we partner together to Advance The Kingdom.

If you’d like to listen again to previous messages from Pastor Ryan and guest speakers, there are 2 ways:

1. Subscribe to our podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/life-church-audio-podcast/id549571272?mt=2

2. Watch messages on demand from our website: http://www.lifechurch.net/video/ondemand/

If you have any questions, I’d love to go for coffee and meet with you. Let me know when would be the best time to connect.

Pastor Example

Team Pastor, Life Church

• 12 days text on Saturday:

Looking forward to Encountering God and Experiencing Life with you tomorrow at Life Church: 9 or 11:15, or if you’re not available, watch live at lifechurch.net

• 19 days text on Saturday:

Is there something you’d like us to pray for? Just reply and let us know. See you tomorrow 9 or 11:15 at Life Church.

• 20 days Email:

This is Jason from Life Church. I oversee our Life Groups.

Life Groups are small groups that meet at various locations throughout Lee County. Every group provides an environment for people to connect relationally, care for one another and grow together in their relationship with Christ, and I’d like to help you find a group that works for you.

Each group meets on a different frequency (some weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) and range from Bible study groups to groups that connect based on common interests.

You can see our full list of groups and sign up online here: http://www.lifechurch.net/lifegroups/ and after participating in a group to see what it’s like, let me know if you’re interested in hosting or leading a group yourself.

Also, for 6th-12th Graders, we have Elevate Youth every Wednesday (Free Dinner at 6pm, Service at 7pm) and Gen Y 18-29 year old singles Tuesdays at 7pm.

If you have any questions, just reply to this email and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.

• 30 days text on a Wednesday:

Most people make their weekend plans by Wednesday or Thursday. Today is a perfect day to invite someone to join you at Life Church this weekend! 9 or 11:15

Apart from these follow-up texts and emails, when they visit the first time, their email address is put on our weekly email newsletter list (using mailchimp.com) so they receive a weekly email showing a few upcoming events and a list of everything happening in the next 7 days.

About twice a month, an email is sent out where we video our Lead Pastor talking for 3-4 minutes about what’s happening or coming up at church (we call it “Coffee With Pastor Ryan”)

We also include key events as text messages to everyone in our database – we haven’t utilized this to the fullest yet, but things like Christmas Eve Service reminders, Easter Service times, daylight savings or community events will have text reminders sent out to everyone in the database with a link to more information.

We also are able to send a message to only those in the “new’ category – not our regular attendees – so we will send out a link to the first new members class that is on the calendar since they visited.

So depending on the season, within the first 30 days, a new visitor will probably get around 15 messages from us, then continue to receive the weekly email newsletter/updates after that initial 30 days.

Text in church is currently offering a 30-day trial, and 25% off of your subscription once you discover how simple and effective their process is for getting your guests to return. Learn more here:

Have a question about our process? Ask it here! Have something that’s been working for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below:

Build a Team Guest Services Marketing

7 ways Northpoint Ministries creates a “Come Back” experience

Post author By Adam McLaughlin
Post date September 20, 2016

I had the chance to connect with Jason Young (@JasonYoungLive) who oversees Guest Services for Northpoint Ministries. I toured the church as an extension of That Church Conference in Atlanta, and then Jason spoke with our whole group about how they approach guest services across multiple campuses.

Jason gave us 7 concepts to take away about how one of the fastest growing churches (and one of the largest) focusses on an experience that makes people want to come back. With his permission, I’m sharing these 7 come back ideas with you. I’m going to paraphrase the summary of the ideas in my own words.

When we create an experience, we’re actually creating 2 experiences

We’re creating an experience for the guest (That’s the obvious one) but we’re also creating an experience for the volunteers. Of those 2 experiences, focus most on the volunteer experience. If your volunteers feel welcome and part of what’s going on at your church, they’ll create an environment that welcomes guests to make them feel a part of what’s going on at your church.

Choose Hospitality over Service

Service is the act of what we’re doing (ie. opening a door for someone) but Hospitality is focussed around who we are – we welcome people when we open the door, ask how their week was when we hand them the pen, smile and thank them for coming as we show them the closest parking spot. Your guests won’t walk away saying “Wow, the way the door got opened was exactly the right speed.” or “Did you see how they handed me the pen with their left hand so they could shake my right hand?”

Hopefully they’ll walk away saying “I felt welcome,” or “They were really helpful.”

Elevate the Dignity of each guest

We don’t know what someone has been through in the last month, week, day or even few minutes. Whether someone is having a bad day, or even if they’re having a good day, find a way to make it a great day.

It’s a WIN when guest services becomes a culture, not a department

If you hear someone saying “I don’t open doors, that’s a guest services thing.” or they walk past a piece of trash and leave it for the custodian to pick up, then those are indications that guest services is a department. If you sound guy walks into the lobby and sees someone looking lost and points them in the right direction, or a parking lot attendant helps a mom with her bags so she can bring her child to class – that’s a win. When everyone realizes that guest services is part of who you are, you’re on your way to creating that culture.

How we feel about a guest walking in will be directly reflected in how they feel walking out.

See a person, not a crowd. Hear a story, not noise.

Each person matters and has a story. If you choose to connect with that one person in that one moment and give them your full attention and be fully present, you’ll create a rare connection that is difficult to find in our busy world, and that rare connection with you will be connected to your church.

Small wins feel good and create momentum

Celebrate wins within your guest services team. Someone asks for a pen and the conversation leads to the accepting Jesus – that’s a win. Someone found your church on google and came for the first time – that’s a win. A new family says their kids loved your church and want to come back – that’s a win! Each time you celebrate a win, you are helping your team realize and recognize that they are making an impact on the come back decision.

Think Scene-by-scene

What are the major touch points (At the Bulkhead campus, those are Parking lot, entrance, finding your way in the lobby, information and auditorium.) How will visitors experience these touch points, and how do they transition between them. Analyze each “Scene” as a piece of the puzzle, but view each scene in the context of the full experience – not isolated from each other.

If you’re visiting the Atlanta area, check out Buckhead church. Check out how they live out each of these steps, and in the mean time follow Jason on twitter: @JasonYoungLive