You want people to like your church, but simple marketing mistakes could actually give them the wrong impression. Instead of seeming like a warm, friendly church, it might come off as outdated or selfish. Neither of those traits helps with growth. When you’re marketing your church, carefully review your strategy to ensure you’re showcasing your church in the best light possible. After all, this is how you want potential visitors to see your church.
1. Focusing On Pizazz
Do you remember those kids in high school that were desperate to be popular? They’d go out of their way to seem cool only to seem incredibly awkward to everyone else. Sadly, churches are guilty of the same thing. In their desire to appeal to a younger crowd, they focus so much on pizazz that they forget about what’s most important - JESUS. For instance, churches might spend hours trying to come up with hip names for their ministry groups instead of just giving them simple, descriptive names, such as Student Ministry or Kids Church. When churches try to appear too cool, people may avoid them. They want a church that helps them meet their spiritual needs versus focusing on being trendy.
2. The Us Mentality
One of the most common marketing mistakes churches make is having an “us” mentality. Instead of focusing on what potential visitors might want, they focus solely on the church. For instance, a church’s blog might be all about church events or improvements to the church. Instead, the majority of a church’s blog should focus on common issues members are facing or how to better cope with the horrible things going on in the world. The most successful marketing focuses on the consumer (in this case, potential new members) and not on selling a product (in this case, the church). Put their needs first and you show people you care about them.
3. Skipping Strategy
You probably know you should have a church website and a social media presence. However, do you have any strategy for marketing using those channels? Marketing isn’t as simple as it might sound. For instance, if you only post to social media a few times a month, you’ll have difficulty connecting with anyone. Skipping a strategy leads to numerous marketing mistakes, such as lack of engagement. Before you try marketing your church, create a set strategy that includes:
- Which channels to use
- How frequently to post on social media and at what times
- How often to check for comments on posts
- How often to blog and where to share posts
- Who will manage each marketing channel
4. No Social Engagement
Social media is an incredible tool for helping for marketing your church online. However, you’ll give off the wrong impression if no one interacts with followers on social media. If people are commenting and/or asking questions, you need someone to respond. When you post something and never respond, people assume your too busy to care about the people in your church. This leads them to another church that seems more welcoming. Your church might be the friendliest church ever, but your lack of social media engagement gives the wrong impression.
5. Only Focusing On Big Events
Your church is more than just major holiday events, such as a Christmas play. It’s not uncommon for churches to focus all of their marketing just on these events. When it comes to marketing mistakes, it’s not the worst you can make, but it does give the impression that your church cares more about big events than regular worship. While you should definitely market those events since they draw in new visitors, don’t forget to market the smaller things too. For instance, let people know about an upcoming sermon series or a new podcast you’re starting. Talk about community service projects you’re regularly involved in. This shows potential visitors that your church is active and engaging all the time and not just during the big events.
6. An Outdated Website
This is easily one of the worst church marketing mistakes you can make. An outdated website immediately gives the wrong impression. Instead of saying “come visit,” it says “our church is as outdated as our website.” To potential visitors, they worry that if you don’t care about maintaining your website, you don’t maintain your church either. Remember, for many potential new members, your website is the first impression they have of your church. Think of it as trying to grow your church, but you have busted windows and the doors are cracked and weathered. That doesn’t sound very inviting, right? An outdated site gives that same impression, no matter how great your church might be. Are you ready to up your church marketing game? Start with a clean, professional, engaging church website today.