Marketing as Ministry #4: Accompaniment

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20 (emphasis mine)

Everything you need to know about marketing, you can learn from the Great Commission.

Truly. There are four essential elements of any Catholic marketing plan, and Jesus lays them all out right there.

The problem?

Most Catholic business owners and ministry leaders fall into the trap of only focusing on one.

In my 10+ years of marketing, here's the trap that I've seen almost all Catholic business owners and ministry leaders fall into:

Your marketing plan focuses solely on reaching more people.

You think, "If I just reach more Catholics, then I'll grow!"

Or it's close cousin, "If people see [whatever it is you do], then they'll buy / attend / donate, etc."

But there's so much more to marketing than just reach.

Now for some of you, reach is the problem. You have a fantastic offering that people love as soon as they see it. You just don't know how to get more people to see it.

But more often than not, I've found reach is only part of the problem with marketing for Catholic businesses and ministries.

Here's the actual problem: ⬇️

If you want your marketing to work, you need to have strategies for all three of the first steps, and then integrate #4 into each.

And of course, that's exactly how Jesus marketed.

STEP #1: KNOW

("Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you")

The Great Commission is at the very end of Matthew's Gospel.

It's exciting. There's action. This is what it's all been about!

But what happened before then?

Jesus spent three YEARS teaching them who He was and who they were in Him.

They can only teach these new disciples to observe Jesus' commands if they've already known them.

And we need to do the same in our marketing.

If you don't know

• Who you are
• What you offer and how to describe it
• What makes you different
• Who God has called you to serve
• What their problems are
• How you solve them
• And what you want people to do next

Then you can reach as many people as you want, most of them probably aren't going to resonate with what you do, because they won't have any idea it's even for them or what you are offering them.

This isn't just about messaging, though that's a huge part of it.

It's about knowledge, so you can effectively share with others.

Priests go to seminary for years before going into active ministry.

Religious have novitiate, engaged couples have pre-Cana, those in ministry have formation:

So if your marketing is holy (which we've already determined it is), then you need to spend that formation period on it, too.

STEP #2: REACH

("Go")

Only once you've been formed will you be sent (aka trying to reach people with what you do).

Notice that this is an active action Jesus is calling them into.

He doesn't just say, "Wait for them to come to you." He instructs them to GO.

Likewise, reach marketing is about going out to the people God has called you to serve, NOT just hoping they stumble upon you.

But you can only find them if you know those essential things from Step #1 first.

Otherwise, you end up either:

He didn't "just bring" new Christians to the apostles. They had to go out, and so do you.

(Yes, sometimes God does just bring people to us, but I've found that's rare. Finicky algorithms won't stop Him from putting the people in front of us whose stories we need to be a part of — but we have to be putting in the effort too.)

STEP #3: CONVERT

("Make disciples")

So you know and you go...but it still seems like your marketing isn't working.

That's because you also need to convert people too.

And in the spiritual life and business...conversion is a process.

In today's distracted world, reaching someone — just telling them what you do — normally isn't enough.

One social media post, one ad, one visit to your website is not going to be enough.

You also need to have a conversion marketing strategy, with a plan of how you'll continue to market to them from the first time they hear of you through taking that first action (buy, donate, attend, etc.), and beyond.

Jesus doesn't just tell the disciples to go.

He also tells them to "make."

And that "making" takes time and accompaniment.

It wasn't always the act of one moment — it was the result of many moments, all knitted together.

We have to do the same in marketing.

You can reach all the people you want...but the majority of them won't take action right away. If you aren't willing to keep marketing to them, then you'll be missing out on a huge chunk of your people that just needed more time and accompaniment to decide.

This is where marketing becomes ministry: Because you aren't just trying to get something from people and bail — you're accompanying them for however long they need, and with their ultimate good in mind.

STEP #4: PRAY

("I am with you always")

Jesus WANTS you to include Him in your marketing decisions.

He is with us always. In all things. Even the mundane.

I know you probably pray about your business or ministry.

But when's the last time you prayed about your marketing?

When's the last time you specifically asked the Holy Spirit to lead your marketing to the people He needs you to impact?

When's the last time you prayed for everyone your social media post or email will be seen by?

When's the last time you prayed about who God's asked you to reach?

We need to integrate prayer into every step of your marketing strategy.

So no, "reaching more Catholics" isn't your marketing problem.

You need all four of these elements in your marketing strategy for it to work.

And I want to teach you how —

Which is why I'm so excited to share that my course, Market Like Jesus, is returning May 26!!! 🎉

Inside, I walk you through setting up each of these elements for YOUR business or ministry.

Within each element, I walk you through step-by-step how to craft your unique plan (it looks different for each business or ministry!).

All rooted in examples from the Bible of how Jesus did this, of course — but also with real-life examples from other Catholic businesses and ministries.

Sound like what you need? Mark your calendar for next Tuesday, May 26 when doors will reopen!

Then I'll meet you back here on Wednesday with a free gift to help you get started on Step #1: Know — because when you know, you grow!

For His greater glory,

Emily

P.S. In case you missed it — Market Like Jesus returns May 26! Inside, I walk you through step-by-step setting up your Catholic business or ministry's unique marketing plan based on the four essentials Jesus and the apostles used to grow the Early Church. Mark your calendar for when enrollment reopens!

World Communications Sunday Message Yesterday was World Communications Sunday! Here is the message Pope Leo XIV prepared for the day — but we also have his first encyclical on the subject to anticipate, being released next Monday. Read the message