4 Reasons Your Church Should Keep Advertising (Even if the Budget Is Tight)

Sometimes church leaders view the words “marketing” and “advertising” with a negative lens. During times of economic slowdown where church budgets are crunched, the advertising budget is often the first line item to get cut. It is an unfortunate reality, because when everyone else is halting their advertising efforts there is a tremendous opportunity to accelerate the marketing goals of your local church. Below are four reasons you should double-down — continuing whatever marketing efforts your church has going — particularly when your church’s giving is tight (and when the economy is low). There are internal, external, financial, and eternal opportunities for the modern church leader to leverage marketing principles to advance their church’s vision and mission.

Reason 1 - Gain or Keep Momentum

Momentum is a tricky concept. It’s difficult to get momentum internally in a church and even more difficult to keep it. One way, though, to generate more momentum is through advertising your church. Put simply, when people who attend your church see your marketing presence in the places they are gathering (in a Facebook Ad, on a billboard, etc.), it can create a feeling of pride (the good kind) and excitement. Additionally, as people who don’t attend your church see your advertising and interact with it, it can cause attendance growth (see below) and growth is a momentum stimulus.

It might seem insignificant, but leaders would do well to keep a pulse on the momentum waves in their church and capitalize on it. Just as a surfer will weave back and forth to ride a good wave as long as possible, you should utilize every tool at your disposal to keep your waves of momentum. Advertising is an often overlooked but highly effective way to ride the momentum.

Reason 2 - Church Growth

The purpose of the church is to make disciples, not specifically to grow numerically (more on that here). However, it is undeniable that as you make disciples, numeric growth typically happens. One way to accomplish the goal of church growth is through external marketing. There are numerous types of ads that a church can use to help with growth:

• General Brand Awareness Ads
  These ads keep your church’s name in front of people in the community so they think about you when they decide they need you.
  
  
• Ads to Promote Upcoming Onramp Events
  Events such as egg hunts at Easter, Vacation Bible School, days in the park, etc. are long tried and true ways to connect with people in your community. Why not let more people know about what’s coming up by leveraging advertising?
  
  
• Ads that Provide Felt Need Resources to People in the Community
  An often overlooked way to serve people in your community is through providing free resources that help them in their time of need. For example, a free resource such as “25 inexpensive date nights” or “8 biblical ways to deal with anxiety in trying times” is a great way to not only help people, but also to show your community that you are a church that is practical and caring. Running ads to promote the availability of these types of resources is a great way to extend their reach.

Reason 3 - It Is Less Expensive

Just as the church budget usually tightens up when the economy is down, businesses also often scale back their ad spend budget during economic slowdown. Less spending on ads across the board makes ads less expensive to buy. Simple principles of supply and demand. This means that during those slower times it is a great time to reprioritize your church’s spending in order to sink more dollars into less expensive ads. Logically, when the church budget is tight, it is the best time to start or continue your advertising.

Reason 4 - The Gospel Mission

If our calling as churches is to make disciples, it stands to reason that we need to be letting people know about the church. After all, how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? Even when the church budget is strained, keeping your outward presence robust is critical. The best way to let people know about your church is through your congregation inviting their friends, family, and coworkers. Beyond word-of-mouth marketing, the next best thing is through advertising. Someone’s eternity might hang in the balance based on your church’s willingness to continue advertising.

Maintaining advertising efforts for your church, even during tight budget constraints, is one of the most strategic and impactful decisions you can make. It is a powerful tool to generate and sustain momentum within the church community. Making disciples can be accelerated through marketing. From general brand awareness to promoting upcoming events and offering valuable resources to the community, advertising becomes a catalyst for expanding the church's reach and influence. Leveraging cost-effective ads during economic downturns further amplifies the impact. The fundamental mission of spreading the Gospel underscores the necessity of maintaining an outward presence, even in challenging financial times. Beyond mere promotion, it becomes a vital instrument through which individuals may encounter the transformative message of the Gospel, potentially influencing the trajectory of their eternity.

In essence, the decision to persist in advertising during budget constraints is not just a practical consideration but aligns with the overarching vision and mission of the church. By recognizing the internal, external, financial, and eternal opportunities inherent in strategic marketing, church leaders can navigate economic challenges while advancing the core objectives of their congregation.

If you're conviced to continue, or perhaps even begin investing in advertising, read this next: 4 Types of Ad Campaigns Every Church Should Consider.