Each week, I teach you a new way to market like Jesus. But today, we're mixing things up. I'm not going to teach you how to market like Jesus, but someone else instead... ....someone whose birthday is today.... ...and who is the next best thing to marketing like Jesus... Mary! In honor of Mary's birthday, here are a few ways we can Market Like Mary: Market with grace. From the few stories we have in the Bible about her, the word that always sticks out to me when it comes to Mary is grace....
9 days ago • 4 min read
You stare at the calendar for September, and among all the "starting back meetings" that litter every evening of your week, you see one that maybe you forgot about until now: The parish council. So you start drafting up the agenda with "keeping people up to date" items that happened over the summer and groan. This could very easily just be an email. You anticipate all of the blank faces and "That sounds great!" unengaged reactions. How do you foster discussion and participation so you make...
9 days ago • 3 min read
Monday Marketing Musings coming to you on Tuesday after Labor Day — praise God for the great gift it is to get to do this work for Hm! I know this week is likely crazy for you professionally and personally, so I'm going to make this quick: Have three minutes? (Or less if you have this digitized) Put the following message up on your outdoor sign: "All are welcome to come inside and pray — that means you too!" with the hours your church is open. That's it. Often, we focus on all these big...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Monday Marketing Musings coming to you on Tuesday after Labor Day — praise God for the great gift it is to get to do this work for Hm! My husband and I have terrible luck with restaurants. It's a running joke now that we can only go to chain restaurants because no matter where we go or how highly it's rated, we will have a terrible experience. So our go-to since our dating day? Cracker Barrel. (So much so that we went there after we got engaged and almost had our rehearsal dinner there.) It's...
15 days ago • 3 min read
September is coming, which means every group you only hear from once a year is now looking to get space in the bulletin (and back of the church) to promote that they're starting back and looking for new members. Among those? Altar servers. And let's face it: It's one of the most difficult groups to get new people for, because the target demographic is kids, many of whom in your parish probably aren't attending weekly and who you can't really promote to directly since they likely aren't...
23 days ago • 2 min read
It should have been a disaster. The TikTok manager for a gluten free baked good company accidentally changed the name for their account recently to her own name. She thought she was updating her personal account, but accidentally did it on the company's page. No problem, right? Quick fix? Nope. TikTok doesn't allow you to change your name for 7 days after you change it. So now, instead of "Sweet Loren's," the company's TikTok was now "Ryan." During a product launch. For seven days. Why do I...
23 days ago • 4 min read
I can tell you that as I was creating our parish bulletin in Word years ago (yes, cringe, I know)... I never DREAMED there would be a time when the Vatican of all places held a conference for digital missionaries and influencers. And yet, that's exactly what happened just a few weeks ago in Rome. Just the term "digital missionary" fills me with such renewed hope and purpose in this work that we do. It's what I have based this whole business on: That marketing is our way in which we have been...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Thank you to newsletter subscriber Rhonda for suggesting this topic! Some of you may have already had your parish festival for the year, so if so, save this in your back pocket for next year's planning. The smell of sausage and peppers, pierogis, and funnel cake wafts through the air. The normally serene church parking lot is bustling with the sounds of children screeching, loud music blaring, and adults crammed onto the few plastic picnic tables in the shade. And you better join the line for...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
I have so many testaments to it right here in this room as I type this message to you. My phone and earbuds, recommended by my husband after he'd gotten them and liked them. The book on my nightstand that I haven't read yet (and let's be honest, probably won't get to before I need to return it to the library)? Only there because someone recommended it, unprompted, on a group call I was on. Even this email software I'm using to send you this message? I only have it because I'd seen it...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read