Ministry Lab Network 11/13 :: Branding for Ministries :: Dawn Nicole Baldwin

Part 1 :: Leveraging Brand Strategy to Reach PeopleDawn Nicole Baldwin & Tim Schraeder

@DawnNicole :: @TimSchraeder

Marketing, Branding & Everything In-Between

[ branding ]v., “The practice of delivering a promise

that reflects the mission, uniqueness and personality of an organization.”

Logo

Ad Campaign

Website

XXX

Reaching

those you’re called to serve

Communicating

the essence of who you are

Delivering it with relevance,

consistency and excellence

Branding for ministries means...

VISION

WHO are you serving?

How to reach people more effectively

WHAT are your unique strengths?

Who are you best equipped to serve?• What are their needs?• How are their needs changing?• How can we meet those needs?• What do they seem to have in common?

This does NOT mean we close our doors to anyone, but rather we understand their language and focus our efforts so we can be more effective.

There’s a difference between

Reaching More Peopleand reaching people

More Effectively

What is the unique role you believe God is calling your church to fill?

Determining how you

want to be defined by your audience.

[ positioning ]

[ G r o u p p a r t I c I p a t I o n ]

Defining where you’re going & who you serve influences everything from programming

choices to logo design

(So branding really is just another strategic channel for delivering the vision of the church,

much like the weekend services)

“The communications team owns the brand”

[ b r a n d i n g m y t h # 7 3 2 ]

Everyone who is part of your organization is a

“Brand Ambassador”

[ reality ]

[ G r o u p p a r t I c I p a t I o n ]

What do others say about us?

Key to start understanding how the church is positioned today is to ask:

What do we

want to be

known for?

How does that compare with:

Communications have changed

• It used to be very one-sided“Here is information you need to know about us”

• Now the medium is the message and it’s a two-way conversation

“The greatest challenge with communication is

the illusion it has occurred”- Charles Kettering

If everything is communicated at the same volume at the same

time, nothing will be heard

Primary Front DoorsWeekend servicesHolidays & Big outreach events

Platform announcementPrimary spot on websiteCustom graphicsListed in the bulletin

Large Side Doors & Primary Next Steps

Women’s/Men’s/Student eventsBible studies & small groupsVBS, upcoming registration dates

Timed promoListed in events section of websiteSecondary spot on website (for a short period of time)Mailer sentListed in bulletinLobby monitorsTable tents in cafePre-service announcements

Niche GroupsOpportunities & events tailored to fit the needs of a specific group

Quilters/Knitters, etc.

Group leader emailsPerson-to-person connectionsGroup-specific text alerts

High Visibility

Primary front doors that apply to most people, or we want to strategically

promote

Medium VisibilityLarge groups withshared interests

& immediate next step actions

Light VisibilityEverything else

Opportunities Available Tools

Opportunities

Size of Spotlight

Light

Medium

High

Medium

High

“Brands are built primarily by

Advertising”

[ b r a n d i n g m y t h # 965 ]

Advertising is

just one of many things that shape the brand

[ reality ]

Churches are offering experiences on the weekends—not widgets—which involves a different mindset in communications

We remember 10% of what we READ20% of what we HEAR

30% of what we SEE40% of what we DO

a n d

100% of what we FEELDr. Karl Bribram

[ G r o u p p a r t I c I p a t I o n ]

outreachevents

word of mouth

weddings & funerals

directmail

logo

namewebsite

weekendservices

press

ushers

volunteeropportunities

brandexperience

BrandExperience

Think through the experience of a first-time guest. Was it

consistent with who you want to be?

Everything communicates.

100%

Of new people coming to your church will check you out online first. Quick tips:

• Prioritize the needs of new people first.

• Give them a taste of what to expect

• Don’t overwhelm them with information. Just focus on what they need to know & help them take the next step

Don’t ask “What are we trying to say?” but

“What conversations are we wanting to create?”

(And what do we want them to do?) Always have a next step.

What are you known for today?

What are 3 things you can start right now to get there?

What do you want to be known for

5 years from now?

@dawnnicolednicole@AspireOne.com

connect.me/dawnnicolebaldwin