Promotion Strategy (Fall Launch)

The fall is one of the big times a year that churches seem to get a bounce in numbers like Easter and Christmas. Once church leaders started seeing this they also started promoting this time of year like they also do Easter and Christmas. Church of the Suncoast is the same. We are 3 1/2 years old and each fall we have done a marketing blitz.

This year we tried something different though. I picked this up in a passing conversation at one of my coaching network meetings with Tony Morgan in South Carolina. Someone in passing said something about "If you can get your people excited about something then you don't have to market". So I started thinking about it and the more I thought about it the more I felt like we should give it a try.

Here was my frustration that led to this also. We get these awesome bumps from a marketing blitz, or if you do church in Florida you get a medium bump... anyway that is another post. But the very next week it is back to normal. Maybe you pick up a few people down the line but it is a one time shot for the most part.

So this fall for our Fall Launch we focused 100% on getting our people jacked up about the new fall series "Living on the Edge" and then put the ball in their court to bring people.

Here is what we did:

• Invite cards for the series
• Invite card sleeves with hints
• An internal mailing list postcard
• Free t-shirts with the tag line "Don't Jump" on the front and info for the series on the back
• A vision video
• Two weeks of on stage announcement
• A special "From the Pastor" e-mail about inviting on Wednesday of that week
• Lots of tweets!

Here are the REAL results.

We had 13 first time guests on the first week of the series and a modest bump. We had 14 first time guests this week and a bigger bump! In fact we were up 11% on the second week of the series over the first week where all the push was made. Now, the bump was not spectacular like if we had done a 60,000 piece postcard and a bunch of yard signs, but then again we have never been higher the second week after a big push than the week of the push.

Now, I am not saying we should all stop promoting to the community at large. But, the next time you say something like, "Well we just don't have the money to market like those guys" stop complaining and focus on getting your own people jacked up about what God is about to do. The results just might be more lasting in the long run!!!