1. Building Your Church Through Branding Rev. Michael Mueller www.LovingShepherd.com

2. Who Do Others Say I Am? How would your congregation describe your church? Your guests? Your neighbors? Your mayor and community leaders? The lady at the local grocery?12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding2 3. BrandingWhy Do I Care? Churches often think: offer functional benefits: worship, Bible studies, newsletters, fellowship and home visits Underlying emotional benefit: trust and reliability Creates emotional appeal Branding ties reason for existence to your members, prospectives and the community Comprehensive emotional bond Through focused tactics flowing from a deliberate set of strategies 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding3 4. Im Leary of Using Emotions Emotions Using emotions for visibility and growth not deceptive Opposite, extremely honest about core identity Aligns everything said and done to reflect that core 80% trust recommendations from family, friends, and influential persons Over all other forms of advertising and marketing Emotions work is self-evident Examine successful consumer marketing campaigns 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding4 5. How Do People Pick a Church? Trust it Know it Rely on it, or It's been highly recommended by someone trusted Provide emotional benefits because there is a relationship beyond the church itself12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding5 6. Determine Core Reason for Being Your reason for doing what you do Authentic Expressed in vision, mission, position, values and character Communicating through everything you say and doconsistently Example: My websites (LovingShepherd.com) core motivation is to bring compassion and comfort through an online ministry12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding6 7. Develop Vision Expresses broadly how to advantage strengths Only worry about weaknesses if serious disadvantage Vision flows from core motivation to be who you are12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding7 8. Loving Shepherd Vision Relationships Love is central to our relationship with Christ and with our neighbor Evangelism We bring the Christ that lives within us to those around us Teaching Gods Word is made clear and applied to our lives through the Holy Spirit Discipleship The Holy Spirit makes Disciples through Bible study and serving our neighbor Involvement Every Christian builds the body of Christ by using their gifts of the Holy Spirit Service We serve Christ by serving the needs of all people inside and outside the church 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding8 9. Brand Expressed in the name, logo, advertising, website, etc. as tools, but it is the emotional response to the core idea for its existence manifested in its products, services, people, places and experiences More than filling physical need, emotional connection12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding9 10. Operating Model A promise of who you are Consistent Organizational model Messaging Everyone on same page Its why current members belong and what attracts new members12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding10 11. Loving Shepherd Logo Good Shepherd Jesus holding a single lamb to show both the compassion and individual nature of care Background is a cross to express the sacrificial nature of that compassion Round border is without any sharp edges to portray the non-judgmental nature of the support and comfort offered 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding11 12. Loving Shepherd: AdvertisingBrochure Who We Are12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding12 13. Loving Shepherd: AdvertisingBrochure Who We Are12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding13 14. Trifold What We Believe12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding14 15. Trifold What We Believe12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding15 16. Loving Shepherd: Website12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding16 17. Contemporary Worship Services12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding17 18. Monthly Newsletters12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding18 19. Pastoral Resources12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding19 20. Church Resources12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding20 21. Faith Questions12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding21 22. Videos12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding22 23. Implementing a Strategy Find out why members joined Tie to core reason to exist Build reputation among family & friends Help get through lifes troubles Allow to balance work and family pressures Trust and reliabilitycreates emotional appeal12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding23 24. Emotional Benefit May not be intuitively obvious Talk with loyal members and prospectives Look what competition say to members & prospects Why members and prospects need to come back Members and prospectives don't necessarily remember what do for them as much as how you made them feel There's where can uncover emotional benefit 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding24 25. Personal RelationshipsFrequent Fellowship Events12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding25 26. Youth Retreats12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding26 27. Visible Community Events12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding27 28. Visible Community Organizations12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding28 29. Public Faith Events12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding29 30. Childrens Programs12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding30 31. VBS Drama12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding31 32. Community Service12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding32 33. Community Fund Raising12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding33 34. Brand Strategy Development Brand strategy: how, what, when, and to whom you communicate Clear and concise brand stronger brand equity How people feel about or perceive your church How much willing to sacrifice to be a part of it Brand not church services, fellowship, doctrine, logo, website, or name Its perceive about you, and how you make them feel Figure out do best beyond what now offer, and make part of your brand strategy 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding34 35. Example Church Doctrine Outcome Reformed Holy living Perpetual purgatory Liberal Serve only Look like culture Pentecostal Emotions Emphasize Spirit nonBiblical approaches put focus on me Lutheran True Grace At peace to serve True Lutherans have natural advantage over most churches12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding35 36. Be Consistent Clear and understood in all communications Especially inside own church Talk only about things relate to or enhance brand Ask: Does align with our message? Differentiates from other churches12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding36 37. Connect Emotionally Generates more loyalty and active involvement than does rational thought Way brand makes you feel Belong, part of group More tight-knit than bunch of church goers Connect with members and prospectives Answer questions and concerns on social media A little goes a long way 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding37 38. How Connect Emotionally? Sometimes, just a thank you Great brands give more than that Write personalized letter Send Swag with letter Ask members, guests write review Feature prominently on Facebook site Pictures, shout outs, videos, praise Remembrance at event, worship service or fellowship event DVD showing what happens outside of worship and Sunday school Visit, visit, visit, and then visit 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding38 39. Loving Shepherd Video12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding39 40. Flexible and Creative Be winsome and act with grace, but not at expense of truth and core beliefs Sponsor a convocation on topical questions How would Jesus respond to Islam? How do we determine truth? How can a loving God allow so much evil in this world? What proof is there of Creation? 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding40 41. Measure What Connects Do more things with key elements Return on investment to strengthen brand Ask for feedback and listen, listen, listen Not resonate, not enough reason to love you Always have post mortem soon after event Engage members in fresh, new ways, but always remind why they love you12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding41 42. Keep Eye on Other Churches Use successes from other churches, if not dilute brand Share successes and failures with other LCMS churches Dont be distracted away from brand Everyone wont be attracted to your brand shouldnt try to be all things to all people12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding42 43. Brand Strategy Goal Members and perspects multiple needs Best first connect everyone on common ground Then articulate clearly whats in it for them Goal is to stimulate an engaging conversation that allows us to change perception, diagnose expectations and bring clarity to the dialogue Essence of brand strategythe foundation of your communication that builds authentic relationships between you and your members 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding43 44. Community Community is powerful and effective platform to engage prospects Active community, members feel need to connect with each other in context of brand All want to be insider of something Excites to tell people of community we belong and what knowledge we possess Personal recommendations, most powerful 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding44 45. Tactics Make new rulesbe a clear alternative to existing choices Market a beliefconviction, passion and commitment improve lives, families, community Create sense of belongingcollaborate and unify to create Encourage meaningful participation, authenticity, connections Enable expressionBe a conduit for people to expressreflect lifestyle and values that speak for who they are Create or curate a culturebe relevant, currentecho chamber of peers and influencersamplify and reflect Leverage tensioncounterculturalgive winsome voice to dissatisfactionssolutions traditional culture does not solve Use scarcitybe adopted, not selectedcreate cache and exclusivityits a privilege to belongnot everyone can belong 12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding45 46. Think Critically Constantly measuring what you say and do against vision and strategies Brand strategy thinking is about creating the right experience that involves all members and prospect in order the to foster a better strategy12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding46 47. Building Your Church Through Branding Questions?12/16/2013Building Your Church Through Branding47