Picture this: it’s Sunday morning and by the end of second service you’ve run out of coffee and tea. Maybe even the donuts and snacks are gone, too.

No. It’s not because the Youth did something crazy.

No, it’s not Easter.

It’s just a typical, Sunday morning.

How did you run out of coffee?

Simple. Your church doubled down on it’s content strategy. You started engaging with your congregation on more than Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. You created a sustainable church marketing strategy. And you did so without stressing out your staff.

If you’re struggling to bring new members into your church effective church marketing strategies can make all the difference. By reaching out to your community and creating a strong brand identity, you can attract new members and build a thriving congregation.

Below, you’ll learn about many avenues for reaching your community and engaging your congregation.

Strategy #1 : Developing a Strong Church Brand Identity

Your church has a brand. Whether you’ve created it intentionally or it’s was assigned by others, your church has a brand. Understanding your church’s brand is the baseline for all your marketing efforts.

In his book Be Known for Something, Mark MacDonald walks through how to develop your church’s thread (brand).

Crafting a Memorable Logo and Tagline

Your church's logo should be clean, simple, and easy to read. It should represent your church's values and mission statement.

Your tagline should be catchy and memorable, and it should communicate what makes your church unique. It should not be your mission statement. A tagline should be between 3 to 6 words. Short and punchy.

When designing your logo and tagline, it's important to consider your target audience. What will resonate with them? What will make them feel connected to your church?

It's also important to ensure that your logo and tagline are consistent across all platforms. This includes your website, social media accounts, and any printed materials.

Consistency in Messaging and Visuals

Consistency is key when it comes to branding. Your messaging, visuals, and even your website should all have a cohesive look and feel. This will help your church appear more professional and personable. It will improve your ability to connect with your community.

When developing your messaging, it's important to consider your church's values and mission. What message do you want to communicate to your community? What sets your church apart from others?

In addition to messaging, your visuals should also be consistent. This includes your color scheme, font choice, and imagery. When selecting your color scheme and font, consider the emotions and feelings they evoke. For example, blue is often associated with trust and stability, while red is associated with passion and energy.



By developing a strong brand identity, your church can attract new members and connect with your community on a deeper level. It takes time and effort, but the end result is well worth it.

Strategy 2: Build a User-Friendly Church Website

Your church's website is the first impression that people have of your organization. Designing a responsive and informative website that resonates with your target audience can be difficult if you don’t know your church’s brand.

Designing a Responsive and Informative Church Website

Your website should be easy to navigate and visually responsive. It should include important information about your church, like:



• service times
• upcoming events
• your mission statement
• ministries
• resources

When designing your website, it's important to consider the user experience.

User experience is one of the most important aspects of designing your website. To make the experience better, your church website should include:

• an easy-to-use navigation bar
• clear, concise language (get rid of “Christianese” fluff)
• matching brand colors and visuals
• mobile-responsive layout (it’s 2023. I shouldn’t have to say this, but you’d be surprised)

Be Found Online with These Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques

You might have the best designed church website in your area. But it won’t matter if you’re not found by others or Google.

Search Engine Optimization techniques help your website appear higher in search engine rankings, making it more visible to people who are searching for churches in your area.

User experience is one of Google’s most important SEO factors. Other basic SEO techniques include:

• Keywords. You have to know what people are searching for in your area when it comes to churches, Christianity, and faith. The most important place to put keywords is in your headings, Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions. Blogging is a great way to be found for multiple keywords.

• Load Time. Your website should load fast. This is part of user experience, because what will make you quickly leave a website more than a slow loading page. Each page of your website ranks differently, so make sure each page is optimized.



• Mobile Friendly. Like I said, your church website should be mobile friendly. It goes for more than design. Load speeds vary for desktop and mobile devices. Most website platforms give you the ability to edit your site for each platform to best optimize it.

Remember, at the end of the day your website is more for people than it is for Google. People decide to visit your church, not Google. Don’t neglect SEO best practices, but don’t make your website sound like a robot.

Strategy #3 - Utilizing Your Church’s Social Media

Your church probably has a Facebook, Instagram, maybe YouTube or Vimeo. If you’re really into social media you might have a Twitter.

That’s all fine… if you’re using it right.

Social media is social. You must engage on the primary platforms your target audience is. You have to create content that your audience wants. You should engage with them in the comments.

You should NOT use social media as only a billboard for events. You’ll be tuned out by your community and congregation. So how do you make your social media worth following?

Creating Social Media Content for Your Audience

Your social media content should be engaging. Your social media content should be worth reading. Your social can include inspirational quotes/scripture, sermon video bites, and blog snippets.

Another way to create memorable content is to share stories from members of your congregation. This can include testimonials about how your church has impacted their lives, or stories about how they have overcome challenges with the support of your community. Sharing these stories helps people feel more connected to your church and inspire them to get involved.

Quality content is half the battle. Creating content consistently is the hard part. But when you do it correctly, you can build a loyal following and attract new members to your church. By creating content consistently, you improve your digital outreach.

Leveraging Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for Outreach

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all powerful tools for connecting with people in your community. You can also use these platforms to share information about your church's upcoming events and programs.



One effective way to use social media for outreach is to create a Facebook event for your church's events. This can help people find your church and learn more about what you’re doing. You can also use Instagram to share photos of the event and promotional videos.

Strategy #4 - Leveraging Blogs, Newsletters, and Other Church Content Marketing Channels 

Social media is a great place to create a distribute content. But that content needs to come from somewhere. And you have plenty of options outside of Sunday sermons. There are 3 channels your church can utilize to improve outreach and invite more people to your church.

Helpful Blogs

Your church is basically a small business. And you need to treat it as such. One of the ways you can improve your church marketing strategy is by blogging.

Blogging isn’t what it was back in 2008, when people just wrote about their days and other useless text.

Blogging today is about connecting with your audience, building your brand, and helping people. Data supports this.

Large software company Hubspot posted an article that companies with blogs have “far better marketing results.” Active blogging can lead up to 55% more website visitors.

What drives this uptick in traffic? Search Engine Optimization.

Other than the right keywords, good SEO involves:



• building authority with search engines
• having more, quality pages to be found on
• a user friendly website with fast loading speed

Your blog posts must be centered around the needs of your ideal audience. Don’t create Christian fluff for everyone. Meet the needs of your community. Rank higher more frequently on Google. 

Engaging Emails

You ask people every week to fill out a guest card with their name, phone, and email. But what should you be doing with that email other than having it in your database?

Email marketing! But how can your church utilize email marketing?

1. Remind people of upcoming services, events, and volunteer opportunities
2. Provide another channel to collect tithes and offerings
3. Engage with guests and members with custom content
4. Set up automated campaigns for different segments of your church.

With email you can keep engaging with your church outside of Sundays and Wednesdays. But you have to do it right. You must provide content that is useful and that they want. Or at least guide them to that.

Successful email marketing can play a role in driving traffic to your website or increasing weekly attendance. It should be an integral part for your church marketing strategy. A great way to use email marketing is with a newsletter.

Convenient Newsletters

The Gospel isn’t limited to just Sundays and Wednesdays. With a newsletter, you can keep people engaged with content anytime during the week. Newsletters are a great way to stay top of mind.

But to do a newsletter right, people should have choices. They should choose to sign up for it, there preferences for the types of content, etc.

Newsletter might sound archaic. But if you want your church marketing to succeed, then starting a weekly, biweekly, or even monthly newsletter should be part of your strategy.

Strategy #5 - Hosting Community Events and Outreach Programs

Hosting community events and outreach programs is a great way to connect with people in your community and attract new guests to your church.



Community events and outreach programs are not only beneficial for your church, but they also serve as a way to give back to the community. By hosting events, you can create a sense of community and unity within your neighborhood.

Organizing Events to Attract New Members

Your events should be engaging and should appeal to people who might not have considered attending your church before. This can include community service projects and family-friendly activities.

Community service projects are another great way to connect with people in your community. Consider organizing a food drive or a clothing donation event. This can not only help those in need, but it can also bring your church members together to work towards a common goal.



Family-friendly activities are a great way to attract families with children to your church. Consider hosting a family movie night or a game night. This can create a fun and welcoming environment for families to spend time together.

Partnering with Local Organizations for Community Impact

Partnering with local organizations can improve your church's visibility and make a positive impact in your community. Consider partnering with schools, non-profits, and other religious organizations to make a difference in your community.

Schools partnerships can be a great way to connect with families in your community. Consider offering tutoring services or hosting a back-to-school event. This can help families prepare for the upcoming school year and create a positive relationship between your church and the local schools.

Partnering with non-profits can also make a positive impact in your community. Consider hosting a charity event or volunteering at a local food bank. This can help those in need and create a positive image for your church in the community.

Overcoming Misconceptions About Church Marketing

Some people believe that marketing is inappropriate for churches, but this is a misconception. Effective church marketing is about communicating your values and your message to your community in a way that is engaging, respectful, and authentic.

It's important to remember that marketing is not about selling a product or service. Rather, it's about building relationships and creating connections with people who share your values and beliefs.

By using marketing to share your message and connect with your community, you can help your church grow and thrive for years to come.

If you need help with marketing your church, especially with websites or anything digital, The Content Pastor is here to help!