-by Leo Crosby, Marketing & Communications Director

I had an opportunity to sit down with  Tom Elmore, starting Thrive Church in Katy, TX, and Joel Hunter, founding pastor of Northwood Church and CMN Discovery and Development Director,  this week and brainstorm some ideas of how Tom can get the attention of his community.  He shared with me that he was about to drop a hefty amount of money on a direct mail piece to 75,000 homes.  This was at one time a great way to get your message out.  However, I cringed when I heard him say this.  Don’t get me wrong, if you have a huge marketing budget and it is just one more piece of the total pie then go for it.  But most new churches do not have that luxury.  The expected return on a direct mail piece in today’s marketplace can really be little more than building awareness.  With a successful response to a sale or donation being 1% give or take then I have a hard time telling someone to spend money for something that the return is so minimal.

So as Joel, Tom, and I sat talking there were two great ideas that came up.  Joel, last year for his Easter egg hunt created an extremely well designed flyer (design matters and is vital), and had it put in the local school folders that were sent home to every parent.  8,000 people showed up to the hunt.  As we bounced around ideas, including lets just give cash away to people to come to church next week, I think we hit one that has some great potential.  We came up with the idea where the church would approach the local coffee house and provide free coffee one evening to anyone who comes through.  Tom and members of his team would be there to shake hands and get to know the community.  The key here is that one the engagement becomes personal, not a piece of mail, and it involves his team in the process.  Because of the community Tom is planting in, the coffee house setting works great.

Everytime I’m about to spend money on an old marketing approach I ask myself this question, what else can I do with that amount of money and achieve greater results.  Sure the reach may not be 75,000 but the impact will be greater.  Its more about engagement and letting people see you as part of the community, rather than just another flyer in their mailbox.

What are some things that you have done to market your church that has worked really well?

Join our discussion of this on Facebook or just leave your thoughts here.

Next time you are spending marketing dollars ask how you could use the money differntly to achieve an even greater return.