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Learn the Secret of “Me Marketing” vs. “You Marketing”
By chris | May 17, 2007
Many ministries put together brochures, websites and other materials with the least interesting copy and least likely approach to get the attention of the people they want to reach. They send their messages as what Jay Conrad Levinson calls “You Marketing” You marketing is the kind of communication that centers on the church and the programs of your ministry. When I pick up your brochure as a prospect, I am learning about you. You are talking about you. You are telling your side of the story. You, you, you! What about me?
I know, it’s not all about you, or about me. I am not talking about centering your planning on self-centeredness. This is not a hermenuetic for developing theology. We are talking about how to write an advertisment, brochure, write website content, etc. I am talking about how to get the attention of people who are not yet tuned-in to the truths of the Bible. Most people are tuned into what matters to them. They tune in to the messages that speak to their needs from their perspective. If I pick up your brochure and it is talking about “me” I am far more interested.
Imagine a restaurant that spoke only of their features in “you marketing”. They would talk about their staff, their great kitchen, their use of the latest cooking techniques. Who cares? Imagine that same restaurant with “me marketing.” They would talk about fresh ingredients, the options I have for what kind of food I want, the variety, the atmosphere of the restaurant for meetings and special occasions like my anniversary. They would make the price right for me, the food to my taste, the presentation pleasant to me.
This approach, forces you to find the benefits and life-application of what you are offering to people. It helps you get and keep the attention of the people you want to reach.
Most church media talks mostly about the great things the church is doing. But people who are not active in church are more interested in how attending the church might benefit them. Instead of saying, “First Church has a world-class children’s program,” say “You’ll appreciate the character-building children’s ministry at First Church.”
Since you are talking to the audience, and not about yourself, take the next step and think about how the programs or events might have some benefit for the people you want to reach. A good, ministry-minded way to think about this is to consider the life application the program will provide. For example, “Your kids will love our easy-to-understand and fun Bible learning programs.”
Now go back and look at your website or brochures. Do they tell about your mission, your great staff, your cool facilities, your programs? Is it all about you–you, you, you? How can you change the copy to reflect more “me marketing?” Making changes will make your communication attractive to people and more effective.
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Topics: Deliver the Message |
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