Some of the world’s biggest marketing successes weren’t launched by $1 million/minute Superbowl commercials, loss-leader discount promotions or gimmicky jingle-heavy radio spots.

Instead, a product, service, or person catches on when the right things come into alignment.  And many times none of this costs any money at all.

Did you know there’s a formalized discipline to crafting “buzz”?  Yup, there is.

This is the part where the Church could get a little extra boost by taking notes from. . .

Word of Mouth Marketing.

This is a relatively new formal tactic now used by some of the best organizations out there today.  At the root of it all, here’s what Word of Mouth Marketing is about according to WOMMA.org:

Giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easier for that conversation to take place.

The key to this equation is the 2nd half of that axiom.

In the 5-step process defined by WWOMA, the third step is something that is both easiest to do, but also easiest to put off doing:

Providing tools that make it easier to share information

Are you doing this for all that you do in your ministry?

Imagine what would happen if every brother and sister sitting in the pews had multiple tools that make it easier to share information (both about your church specifically and the Gospel itself!  This of course can take many different forms.

Here’s one example from a recent worship experience at LiquidChurch.com.  This example is super easy to apply in your own church or ministry because it is practical, low-cost and effective.

The Perfect Word of Mouth Marketing Helper

Last Sunday, everybody that walked in and picked-up a bulletin and offering envelope was also passed a set of business cards.  But these were not the usual business cards.  Think tiny postcard — featuring a teaser graphic for the upcoming sermon series on the front and times & directions on the back for each of the church worship experiences.

Business cards are the perfect pocket-sized pass-along billboard for your church!

I love this idea becuase these tiny billboards are small enough that anone can carry them around.  They don’t make you feel like you are going around putting up posters or handing out flyers.  These are small conversation starters (or enders) that you can have with you and pass along if the opportunity arises during the week with friends, co-workers, family or even stangers in line at the post office!

They are so easy to make too.  You can have them printed up at almost any printer locally — even the big-box office supply stores like Staples can print up a small batch of pre-designed or custom full color cards the same day for $10.

Jesus charged his discples with a critical task in Mark 16 when he said: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

In my view, the Gospel is basically the Ultimate Word of Mouth Marketing Campaign we are trying to carry out.  This isn’t going to happen by itself.  Just like how some of the most effective word-of-mouth-marketing campaigns didn’t rely on random occurences, you too can reduce the friction in the act of talking about your church worship service, VBS, small group, or any other part of your ministry with others.

Liquid Church could have printed the usually flyer, or even the 5×7  or 7×9 postcard.  But by thinking out of the box and seeing the business card format as a canvas, they came upon something that is perfect for the job.

By understanding that the 2nd half of the Word of Mouth Marketing equation doesn’t happen on its own, we can all be more effective in heading the call found in Mark 16.

Are there any other effective things your church does in getting more people in the door?  Why not share your experiences and leave a comment below.

 Link to this page

 Link to this page