Creating a Ministry Marketing Strategy

How you present and represent your ministry matters. Hopefully, this is an obvious truth, one which you and your team are already aware of. In case you haven’t given it so much thought, here are a few essential elements to help you build a stronger, more robust marketing plan.

Messaging

Messaging is the content that is being shared through whichever channel you choose. Ministries often find themselves trying to walk a delicate balance between praising God for what He is doing on and inward-focused self-promotion. This balance will take constant monitoring and thought! A strong mission statement can help balance the two. If God is at the center of your core values, it will make sense for Him to take center stage in what you share about your work. Communicate your values clearly to the whole team, so that they are equipped to communicate them to others!

Branding

Branding refers not just to a logo, but to the thought and planning that should go into every aspect of the ministry and its marketing materials. Your brand, if communicated and stewarded carefully, can help ensure that people perceive your ministry the way you see it. You, your staff, and your supporters should be able and ready to share an “elevator pitch” about the ministry. That’s just a few key sentences that sum up the heart and soul of the who, how, and why you serve in thirty seconds or less.

Marketing may be easy to ignore in the bustle of doing the day-to-day ministry that you started to do. But without intentional and robust branding, eventually, you may find yourself struggling to do the other work because of lack of resources. Spending a few weeks building an intentional marketing plan and package could help equip your team for the long run! You may even want to consider investing in this financially by consulting with a professional marketer. However, you approach it, be thoughtful and intentional in the process!

You can use a variety of avenues to bring awareness to your ministry. Here is a beginner list of some of the best available mediums for marketing:

• Social media
• Email
• Ads, including newspaper, online, or radio
• Printed materials
• Word of Mouth

There are many facets of marketing. Overall, intentionality is a crucial ingredient to a successful marketing package. Someone or something must drive choices about everything from websites and Facebook posts to letterhead and logos—and you can help make sure that together these things form a cohesive brand that accurately and uniquely portrays your ministry’s mission and heart.

To learn more about marketing your ministry, check out our latest webinar, Ministry, Marketing, & Messaging.