Know the People You Want to Reach: A Target Audience
The most effective marketing happens when churches learn the secret of thinking like the people they want to reach. It is when churches think more like organizations and less like people that they stop making connections. Understanding your ideal target audience and the ebb and flow of your marketplace informs your marketing planning and media choices. Having a target helps your church become more missional.
In this phase you will need look at the two kinds of people affected by your ministry: internal people and external people. Conduct secondary research to identify the best external target audience for your church. So much of what you need to know has already been collected about your target audience; you can sharpen your understanding of the people you want to reach through studying existing data sources. You will also learn more about the people in your community already reached by your church—your members!
- Pull demographics for the communities in your ministry’s focus area. Near the church and any other areas targeted by your church’s outreach
- Gather as much secondary data from your community as you can find.
Where to look:
- Denominational offices
- Government Offices (Chamber of commerce, economic development, small business development offices)
- Libraries (public and universities)
- Organizations (charities, advocacy groups)
- Companies (banks, real estate agencies)
- Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, newsletters)
- Internet sources (use the ones that are more official)
- Professional research organizations (Clairitas, ScanUs, Percept, Nielson, Gallup, local research companies, etc.)
- Best of all, consider a Church Member Profile using “Prizm clusters” (This resource identifies the demographic clusters of people now penetrated by the church and shows you how to reach others just like them).
- Locate where people who go to your church live. (Consider developing a pin map)
- Study your church membership rolls, attendance and any other records kept by your church.
Learn the Needs of the People You Want to Reach: Primary Research of Your Target Audience
As you research consider developing a profile of the people you are best equipped to reach. The profile is a written thumbnail sketch of the people told from the perspective of the people you are trying to reach. The profile will help your ministry team plan better marketing. Usually, leaders discover ideas for greater and never before conceived ministries and programs from this process.
As you read existing research you will notice “holes” in the information you need. To fill in the gaps plan and conduct original research on the target audience. Research helps your church leaders discover the real needs, wants and desires of your target audience in your local situation. Secondary research by itself is not enough; it is only half of the picture of your situation, so your church should conduct original research about the people in your community. The goal is to help you “write the book” on your specific target audience. This can happen only when your ministry team conducts primary research. Ultimately, the success of your mission depends on how well you master and use your understanding of people.
- Design an original research project that will help you answer specific questions about the unchurched in your area
- Consider conducting “Entry and Exit” interviews of people who have joined and left the church in the last 12-18 months. This information will help you understand where any relational disconnects exist in your ministry and alerts you to what attracts people to your church most.
- Conduct interviews and/or focus groups of people in your church about present and future ideas for ministry in the church.
- Consider conducting focus groups of people from outside the church as media is designed to test concepts and opinions about your church
- Develop a “Saddleback Sam” profile for your church. The most effective ministries are the ones who can describe who they are meaning to reach. You’ll reach far beyond your target audience. Having a target profile helps you have a cohesive message—which is very important in media communication.
Link Your Message to Solutions
People don’t notice things they don’t feel they need. Another way of saying that is,”needs drive the communication process”. You can use the information gained in research to develop ministry communications from your church that speaks to your target audience. Many factors influence people when making decisions or adopting new ideas (and habits like going to church). By learning to connect with “felt needs” you will be able to use the understanding that marketing brings to bear on the communication plans of your church toward more gently persuasive outreach.
- Determine what unique ministry opportunities your church has based on what you learn about your community
- Develop a “positioning” statement for what identity you want to project to your community and church
- Determine what benefits your church will bring to people. What will give them a reason to respond?
- Develop key messages that help people become more aware, feel more positively inclined to respond to your outreach.
- Write a strategy for ministry that is responsive to the needs of the people in your church and in your community.
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