Comments on: The Church and Marketing http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/ designer of things graphic, web and video. creative director. web junkie. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:06:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: AJWired http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-904 AJWired Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:10:24 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-904 ryan, I would agree. THE FISH out of Atlanta is a good example that mixes it up. SO wish that 88.3 would do that. ryan, I would agree. THE FISH out of Atlanta is a good example that mixes it up. SO wish that 88.3 would do that.

]]> By: Drew Goodmanson http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-903 Drew Goodmanson Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:55:20 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-903 Good word. For better or worse, one thing we've found is that according to the 100 churches we are surveying "27% of the respondents (peopled who attend) said the church website was how they first learned about the church. http://www.goodmanson.com/2009-03/04/the-truth-about-church-websites-and-effective-online-outreach/ Good word. For better or worse, one thing we’ve found is that according to the 100 churches we are surveying “27% of the respondents (peopled who attend) said the church website was how they first learned about the church.

http://www.goodmanson.com/2009-03/04/the-truth-about-church-websites-and-effective-online-outreach/

]]> By: Ryan http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-902 Ryan Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:25:05 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-902 This is kind of out there, but I've always thought the Christian radio station here would get more hits if their frequency was something much higher than 88.3. Most of the pop/rock/r&b/country stuff is in the upper band - from the mid 90's to 107.7. You would think it would stand a better chance of getting heard as people scan the frequencies in this range. There are a couple of stations around Spartanburg and Atlanta that are like this. Furthermore, most of those stations play music which is much more relevant to a younger generation - you at least hear some hip hop and rock tracks mixed in with contemporary adult. We really don't have a station here that provides that type of mix. This is kind of out there, but I’ve always thought the Christian radio station here would get more hits if their frequency was something much higher than 88.3. Most of the pop/rock/r&b/country stuff is in the upper band – from the mid 90′s to 107.7. You would think it would stand a better chance of getting heard as people scan the frequencies in this range. There are a couple of stations around Spartanburg and Atlanta that are like this. Furthermore, most of those stations play music which is much more relevant to a younger generation – you at least hear some hip hop and rock tracks mixed in with contemporary adult. We really don’t have a station here that provides that type of mix.

]]> By: Stu Gray http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-900 Stu Gray Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:46:58 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-900 Alan - Those are awesome!! I love the "annihilates" line - and the "We'll give you the whole seat, but you only need the edge" lines. Sounds like you have a great forward thinking team with you - those messages covered the whole range of people you could really reach with a large service at a "Convention Center"...and you weren't limited by running the same spot that may have sounded out of place perhaps in one format or another. NICE!!! - stu Alan –

Those are awesome!! I love the “annihilates” line – and the “We’ll give you the whole seat, but you only need the edge” lines.

Sounds like you have a great forward thinking team with you – those messages covered the whole range of people you could really reach with a large service at a “Convention Center”…and you weren’t limited by running the same spot that may have sounded out of place perhaps in one format or another.

NICE!!! – stu

]]> By: AJWired http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-899 AJWired Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:45:09 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-899 thanks for the thoughts Jon. I would say that most people in Aiken, unless a transplant, have some sort of exposure to church. Unfortunately for too many, it wasn't a good experience. Our hope is to remove the stereotype that Jesus and church are boring and irrelevant. Part of our process that I'm involved in is helping to creatively produce the Sunday experience to accomplish that. Always a work in progress :) thanks for the thoughts Jon. I would say that most people in Aiken, unless a transplant, have some sort of exposure to church. Unfortunately for too many, it wasn’t a good experience. Our hope is to remove the stereotype that Jesus and church are boring and irrelevant. Part of our process that I’m involved in is helping to creatively produce the Sunday experience to accomplish that. Always a work in progress :)

]]> By: AJWired http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-898 AJWired Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:31:47 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-898 Hey Stu, that's a cool story. We actually ran some commercial spots on several different genres of mainstream radio last year for our Easter services, kind of like that church did. We had some that sounded like a monster truck commercial for fun as well as a few others. Check it here: http://www.ajwired.com/easter-at-cedar-creek-radio-spots/ Hey Stu, that’s a cool story. We actually ran some commercial spots on several different genres of mainstream radio last year for our Easter services, kind of like that church did. We had some that sounded like a monster truck commercial for fun as well as a few others. Check it here:

http://www.ajwired.com/easter-at-cedar-creek-radio-spots/

]]> By: Stu Gray http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-897 Stu Gray Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:23:29 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-897 Alan - Great Post! I am right with you about Churches marketing to disconnected folks on Christian Radio. Very cool thing happened though, for me and my wife several years ago. We had moved to New Orleans where I was working fulltime radio on the Top 40 Station in town (more hip hop at the time). But I was doing a weekend shift, Easter was coming up, and this church was running commercials for their upcoming Easter Service. The Spot was put together nicely. A blend of great worship tunes from the worship band at the church, inviting people to celebrate Easter with them. Not that it works for everyone, but it did for my wife and I who were disconnected at the time from church. We didn't get a personal invitation, like you suggest, but it was uncommon to hear this appeal on a very urban leaning mainstream station. Thanks again for the post! - Stu Gray Alan –

Great Post! I am right with you about Churches marketing to disconnected folks on Christian Radio.

Very cool thing happened though, for me and my wife several years ago. We had moved to New Orleans where I was working fulltime radio on the Top 40 Station in town (more hip hop at the time).
But I was doing a weekend shift, Easter was coming up, and this church was running commercials for their upcoming Easter Service.

The Spot was put together nicely. A blend of great worship tunes from the worship band at the church, inviting people to celebrate Easter with them.

Not that it works for everyone, but it did for my wife and I who were disconnected at the time from church.

We didn’t get a personal invitation, like you suggest, but it was uncommon to hear this appeal on a very urban leaning mainstream station.

Thanks again for the post! – Stu Gray

]]> By: John Panico http://www.ajwired.com/the-church-and-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-896 John Panico Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:44:21 +0000 http://www.ajwired.com/?p=659#comment-896 Alan, This is what happens when churches want to "be like the big church on the other side of town" or words to that effect. Rather than trying to fill a need or provide something different that might appeal to someone, they go the "tried and true" approach of what has worked for others. As such, their brand is diluted. Though while I get what you are saying about your competition is not other churches, it is easier to get someone to your church regularly that already has that habit. At that point, you just have do deliver what you do better. And while 95% of your visitors are a result of a personal invitation, you might want to find out what percentage of those are non-churched (haven't been to a church in 6 months or more). That would be interesting to find out. Good stuff as always. John Panico Alan,

This is what happens when churches want to “be like the big church on the other side of town” or words to that effect.

Rather than trying to fill a need or provide something different that might appeal to someone, they go the “tried and true” approach of what has worked for others.

As such, their brand is diluted.

Though while I get what you are saying about your competition is not other churches, it is easier to get someone to your church regularly that already has that habit. At that point, you just have do deliver what you do better.

And while 95% of your visitors are a result of a personal invitation, you might want to find out what percentage of those are non-churched (haven’t been to a church in 6 months or more). That would be interesting to find out.

Good stuff as always.

John Panico

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