Marketing Plan Development CommitteeKickoff RetreatApril 11th 2010

Agenda

• Brunch

• Getting to know you– 3 things

– Your Ideal church definition

• Welcome and Overview– Marketing 101

– Goal and Objectives

• Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats

• Next Steps/Homework

• Evaluation

What is Marketing?

• Management of Perception– Perception: the act or faculty of apprehending by

means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. Or, “how people feel about a thing. It is how they see a thing in relationship to themselves and to other things…”

– Management: the act or manner of managing; handling, direction, or control. Or, “the ability to know where you are today, to know where you would to be in the future, and to make adjustments along the way.”

Biblical Basis

• There are over 30 references in the Bible to Jesus perceiving people’s perception and changing his ministry direction, re-communicating, or deciding to halt communications altogether.

• Examples: Matthew 16:8-9; John 11: 41-42

• Jesus ministered on all levels: “grace to the sinner, His Word to the hungry, His challenges to the committed, and His unabated truth to the hardened of heart”

Marketing 101

• Marketing must first affect who we become before it affects those who we pursue.

– How do people (your members and your community) think about your church (or if they do at all)

– What your clearly defined goal is for how you want them to think about your church (based in reality)

• 4 P’s: Product, Place, Promotion, and Price

Where have the people (and their money) gone?

Objectives

• Develop actionable strategies/tactics to “lift the savior up” in the greater-Gainesville area and in so doing attract visitors, engage and retain members/regular attendees

• Help Bethel members and regular attendees understand their role in “marketing” the church

• Apply proven marketing principles and best practices to improve image and effectiveness of Bethel ministries

• Provide a report to the Church Board at the July Board Meeting with detailed recommendations on how to accomplish the above.