Rethinking the Way We Market Churches

In college I was taught McCarthy's 4 P's of Marketing.

Product. Price. Promotion. Place.

The product is what you are selling to the consumer (i.e. candy bar, life insurance, trip to Disneyland). Price is what the consumer is willing to pay for the product (i.e. $1.25, $100 per month, Too much). Promotion is how you communicate information about what you are selling (i.e. TV ads, radio commercials, email marketing). Place is where the consumer is able to purchase the product (i.e. grocery store, over the phone, online).

This was the lens we filtered all our research and insights through in order to come up with a strategy for a brand. Addressing these points does not guarantee a recipe for a successful brand, but it helps establish a strong foundation for the rest of the campaign.

In 1990, Robert F. Lauterborn argued another lens to view advertising and marketing through: the Four C's:

Consumer. Cost. Communication. Convenience

Lauterborn suggests the consumer is no longer who you are selling to but it is identifying the wants and the desires they have that your product can solve. The cost is no longer just a dollar sign because it costs more than just money to invest in something. Gaining awareness and engagement is no longer about shouting information from rooftops, rather it is about engaging in a conversation. How readily available your good or service is more important that traditional means of interaction.

While the landscape these principles were suggested in has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, they still act as a framework to think about how we position brands – in our case, the church.

What does all this marketing and advertising have to do with church?

The reality is, the church is one of the worst marketers and advertisers in the world today. Take a look at any of the church signs around your town that make you cringe because of their puns, shame-filled statements, or cheesy cultural analogies. It is time we completely overhauled the way church does marketing and advertising. I think one practical way is to think through the Four C's in the context of your local church.

1. Consumer - From the perspective of the church, the consumer's wants and desires are pretty easy to put a finger on. While we understand the desires of our heart as inherently evil (Jeremiah 17:9), there are common desires that are hardwired in every human being: love, acceptance, hope, purpose, etc. If we identify those as the wants and needs of the world, the church is perfectly positioned to address those desires.

2. Cost - To the consumer, the church does not cost a dollar amount which is why this is a more complex question. Instead, think of it this way: what does it cost someone to show up, attend, serve, give, or invite? When you look at it through that lens, you are able to understand why calculating the costs of each step is crucial and providing the easiest ways for people to do so is paramount.

3. Communication - The church has operated under the model of being preached at and depending on those sermons to fuel change. While that should still happen on a weekly basis, the church must understand the power of a two-way conversation–much like prayer. It is give and take, talk and listen. It's engaging with people where they are at and beginning the conversation there.

4. Convenience - With the development of smartphones and other mobile devices, people are more and more lazy. This is a fact and reality. It does not mean the church should stoop to encouraging the behavior, but there are very strategic ways to address it. Online church, mobile apps, and user-friendly websites are all great places to start, but culture will continue to move forward and the church must be ready to try the 'next best thing' in order to reach people where they are.

Many of you who read this will stiff arm much of what is written above, citing many reasons. Some will say the old methods of door-to-door (or cube-to-cube) evangelism can never be replaced by an email invitation. You're right; the human component must never be lost because that is at the core of the Gospel — Emmanuel, God came to be with us. Others will say the church has survived thus far and will continue to survive until Jesus comes back. Once again, I have to agree. But in order to be good stewards of what God has given us, it is our job as Christians to create (and redeem) culture. That does not come by sitting back and criticizing the newest, greatest thing. It requires learning and working alongside others regardless of whether they are "Christian" or "secular."

Because, the reality is, it is not just dollar signs to pad the bottom line we are concerned about. It's not just the butts in seats. It's not just the success of the next series.

Souls are at stake.

The very eternal existence of each and every human on the planet hangs in the balance. If the fact that there are people who still need to be reached in your community in a fresh, new way doesn't make you want to try every available strategy to share the Gospel... then you might be in the wrong job.