The Purpose Driven Mission Statement
Oh, the mission statement. It’s the statement that tells the world the role of your company. It’s a statement that illustrates goals, purpose, and practice. The problem is most mission statements don’t define the company at all. Too many mission statements contain general, undefined words. They often contain those church words that people don’t actually understand. They are safe, but yet meaningless. Below are two examples of bad mission statement: By creating value for our … Read entire article »
Filed under: Communication
Sleeping in the storm
In a Midwestern state that was known for severe storms, lived a farmer who had a herd of cattle which provided for his living. He wasn’t able to pay large wages and found it difficult to keep trusty work hands. He found himself in need of a competent worker to properly care for the animals. One afternoon, a young man arrived looking for a job. The farmer looked him over and thought he looked … Read entire article »
Filed under: Marketing
Connecting with Groups
I belong to a small group at church, a Sunday school group. Not only do we meet every Sunday, but we have family outings, dinners, and other fun events. We chose this class because of the commonalities we have. There were many other classes to choose from, but the members specifically chose this class because of similar interest. We essentially grouped ourselves together, because of who we are. We come to depend on the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Communication, Crowd
Hipsters and the Mob
In an earlier post, Gavin discussed the church as a flash mob. That led us to wonder why people participate in flash mobs. The creation of flash mobs is widely credited to Bill Wasik, senior editor at Harper’s Magazine. In May of 2003, Wasik began a social experiment by creating an anonymous email account and sending himself (to his known address) a mob-related email. Part of the email read as follows: You are invited to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Communication, Crowd, Featured, Marketing
The Death of Mass Marketing
Mass marketing gained success, if not born, from the launch of televisions across America. In the mid 20th century, a perfect storm in marketing allowed for mass marketing to work. Smaller selections of brands were in the market place and a smaller number of television channels led to the success of mass marketing. It was relatively easy for large companies to compete. During this time, it was also easy for consumers … Read entire article »
Listening: Looking Back on the Gap Logo Problem
In an earlier post, we mentioned “Listen” as one of the major components in creating a Disciple Exchange. By listening you create a relationship, not a one-way broadcast system. However, listening to customers may not always be the best approach. Let’s take the Gap logo “incident” as an example. After a few months and settling of voices, the perspective slightly changes. In early October 2010, Gap introduced their brand new logo. Clearly, the new … Read entire article »
Filed under: Communication, Crowd, Featured
Selling the Message through Content Strategy
The church is constantly faced with a content dilemma: Market the church or market the church message? Those are uniquely two different audiences, messages, techniques, and deliverables. There is a line between evangelism and marketing. In fact, because of modern commercial cynicism, the well-intended evangelistic message may often be looked at as marketing. Churches struggle having conversation with non-church members (potential customers) without sounding like a commercial. This is not unlike the struggles … Read entire article »
Filed under: Communication, Featured, Marketing
Synergism and the Disciples
If 1 horse can pull 2,000 pounds, how many pounds can 4 horses pull? The obvious answer above is 8,000 pounds. Simple math would tell you that 4 X 2,000 equals 8,000. However, that math does not take into account synergy (synergism). Synergism is defined: Merriam-webster.com – “interaction of discrete agencies, agents, or conditions such that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects.” Dictionary.com – “the interaction of elements that when … Read entire article »
Filed under: Marketing
A Sermon Without Content is Like …
I have spoken at many events around the country. My topics usually consist of the latest online marketing news and tactics. My speaking skills are not great, but getting better. However, I do not worry much about speaking, because I know the content really well. I always try to improve, but I spend more time on the substance than the delivery. I assume the audience is like me, they … Read entire article »
Little Sample Goes a Long Way
It’s been said: “If you want people to laugh, don’t tell them you are funny. Tell them a joke.” It’s easy to tell potential customers how great we are, but they are skeptical. Advertising is good, but consumers have seen it before. We are bombarded with advertising all day long. Consumers want to see the product action. They need evidence of your awesomeness. This is where sampling comes in. Allowing consumers to sample your product or … Read entire article »