Good Publicity, Part 1
Philip Jinadu
April26 | 08
Last month I heard a great story about the use and impact of publicity...
Jo Poulsom, from The Community Church in Bristol, reported how the church had put out a number of leaflets advertising courses that they, and other local churches, were putting on for the community. The leaflet, a simple double-sided sheet of A4 roll-folded (like you fold a letter to put it into an envelope), was delivered in houses in the locality and left in public venues, such as libraries and cafés.
Click on any of the thumbnail images below for a look at the leaflet. (You can also download a pdf version here .)
Response to the leaflet was surprisingly strong. Half the guests on the daytime Alpha course came purely in response to the leaflet – people who had absolutely no prior connection to the church. Likewise, for the Parenting Course, 8 out of 35 – nearly a quarter – came because of the leaflet. Record numbers applied for the Marriage Course with the result that it was, for the first time ever, completely over-subscribed.
All in all, over a hundred guests, many of them with absolutely no natural connection to the church, have engaged with the courses on offer. Not bad for a church of 170 adults.
Good design is really, really important. Ours is a highly visual, media savvy age and the publicity you put out there literally represents who you are.
Now clearly the key is incarnation – people bringing people. But it’s interesting how powerful an asset good publicity can be, particularly in drawing those with no natural link to church or believers.
Here are 5 considerations for you in thinking through your publicity :
1. Glorious Technicolour
Thanks to advances in digital printing, full colour is no longer the unattainable luxury it once was. Colour Laser Printers are now incredibly affordable for any church, but you should also consider getting things professionally printed. Please don’t go overboard with colour for the sake of it. Just because you can have all the colours of the rainbow, doesn’t mean you should. And make sure you get a good deal. Always, always, always ask for a discount. You'll always get one.
Here's my favourite print firm »
2. Unity & Diversity
I think one of the reasons that the Community Church publicity worked so well is that it came out of a number of churches. There’s a legitimacy to that, actually. It doesn’t seem so predatory. Also, the fact that there was a genuine menu of options also helps. People are more likely to go for something if there is an element of choice. It’s just the way our consumerist society works.
3. Grand Designs
Good design is really, really important. Ours is a highly visual, media savvy age and the publicity you put out there literally represents who you are. People will judge your church, your credibility and your message on the quality of what you put in their hands. Try to engage graphic design talent from within your church – even if it’s gifted (teenage?) amateurs copying and adapting someone else’s good design. Alternatively, there are some great Christian designers out there who can deliver real value for money.
Here’s my favourite design agency »
4. Product Placement
The whole point of publicity is that it can go where you can’t – so get it out there. Public libraries are a great start, but you can also display publicity in cafés, hairdressers, Post Offices, community centres and the like. Go ahead. Cast your bread on the waters.
5. A Thousand Words
It’s a cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words, but things become clichés because they’re true. So use pictures – particularly of people – to help the communication process. It’s not as difficult as you think, either. Did you know that all the pictures in the Community Church leaflet (apart from logos) came from Online Stock Image sources. You pay a small fee and then you’ve got copyright for that image for whatever you want. Forever.
They call it the designer’s dirty secret, and that last tip is worth the price of admission alone.
We’ll do more on publicity later on, but that should help you get started.
So what do you think? Leave comments, thoughts and your own tips and resources below.
If you have got good designers in church, then encourage them to offer services to local community groups to design flyers and publicity for them too. Lets give away what is good and bless others. God has opened so many doors when doing simple stuff like that.
Here's another swing at it - maybe its an opportunity, maybe its the start of someone's journey and appreciating that - we want to ensure that a flyer actually communicates and engages. In an age where printing costs are so low, we forget about the importance of the invitation; imagine if you lived in a time where ink was precious, where paper wasn't disposable. How would that affect the very words you chose to put on a page?
Lastly, I like to try and honour the prospective reader of the flyer, poster, etc - what I mean by that is that I want to provide them with everything they need to make an intelligent, independent and informed decision.
It is linked with the "the church Marketing Lab that Stewart identified (www.flickr.com/groups/cfcc/pool/)
They exemplify ALL the 5 principles ! Notice the attention to detail the "squirl" logo (1) is actually taken a fossil image associated with the town (see www.eKeynsham.com for 'the original') and (2) it is carried through - each of the photos used to illustrate of the 12 monthly themes. Some feat to find 12 high quality photos that not only express the theme of the month but also keep this coherent almost subliminal message. Pure magic! Have a look I'm sure you'll agree. Also good integration of off-line and online media, inc drinks coasters for the pubs! OK 'good marketing' isn't a substitute for Spirit-led & prayer-bathed evangelism. Yet that doesn't excuse shoddy second-rate stuff - not an accusation that can be leveled at winning ways.
