Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
Host a Super Bowl Party Legally – @ Church even on the big screen
Is your church planning a Super Bowl Party this year?
If so, be sure that your church super bowl party is legal. The NFL, in recent years, has become very protective of its copyright over all things super bowl. Fortunately, The Church Law Group has put together 3 rules for church super bowl parties (video).
3 Rules for 2010 Church Super Bowl Parties
- The game must be shown on equipment that the church regularly uses over the course of ministry. So if the church already owns a big screen and sound equipment, then the game can be shown using this equipment.
- Church can not charge admission for the party. The NFL has stated, however, that church may take up a donation to defray the cost of the event if they desire.
- To avoid any copyright infringements, churches may want to call their event a “Big Game Party” rather than a “Super Bowl Party.”
Enjoy the Super Bowl Big Game!
Under Promise & Over Deliver…
This evening I had the opportunity to call up a local restaurant to make reservations… The employee @ El Dorado’s stated it might be up to 50 minutes for a table for 11. We hung up after agreeing on a time – and then I received a telephone call back in under 5 minutes stating – the table was ready when we were.
I have often ordered take out from El Dorado’s and always experience the same thing… My order is always ready sooner than promised. The first time this happened I looked at it like wow – must be a slower night then they expected… the second – perhaps this is a coincidence…
I ordered wireless from a company called Country Connections and was given a delivery date longer than I would have liked — and then in just under two days later my service was installed.
I called this week to let them know the service was less than stellar – and was told they would schedule a tech to review the situation early next week. Today they replaced the radio unit that services my house. This is more than just small town America companies helping out their customers – it is Smart Business. Each of these two organizations are performing what is perhaps the oldest marketing trick in the book – one that players like Time Warner, Vectren Gas, and most other service organizations have forgotten.. Announce the minimum of service and then give your best to deliver more that expected without bragging or making much noise about it.
The end result is the basically the same every time – A Positive effect on the customer. This creates word of mouth about the excellent level of service… not only did they deliver on what they promised – but… they provided much much much more…
Mark Stephenson, of Country Connections stated: ” We work hard and will not give any promises that we cannot meet.”
He and the team @ Country Connections succeeded in making me happy – and I will tell all my friends that I am a fan of their service.
And – next time your in Washington Court House Ohio make it a point to visit El Dorado’s and ask for Jessica to be your waitress. The service is stellar.
Marketing is about the Heart – not the truth!
Marketing = To Make Friends
Marketing is all about making friends. A professor I had taught a class – in the class we had 3 text books – all Star Wars. He started the first day of class locking the door five minutes before the class was due to begin – failing everyone that did not show up on time… (he was the Dean of the dept. after all so who is going to stop him?) The rationale behind this move - Anticipate what your customer wants before they know what they want.
This was perhaps one of the best lessons I ever learned. His first lecture – his only lecture lasted about five minutes. In it he defined marketing as ” To Make Friends”. Further in the entire 5 minutes before reading Star Wars monotone – he stated “The only way to make friends is to be a friend.”
In the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Nortin Hadler released his results from examining the stats associated with various medical procedures and interventions over the last thirty years.
His research stated that half the angina patients waiting for surgery got nothing but a cut in the chest – and the other half were given bypass. The result of the placebo group - the same as those who had the actual bypass. Bypass is quite expensive, pretty risky – and has been known to have 1/3 of its patients suffer from memory loss and up to 50 percent to suffer from depression. Interestingly enough the “pretend surgery” had the same end result for the study group - The same improvements to their overall health.
The point here is simple - It is all about the way you feel – not about the truth of what is really happening. Marketing is all about making friends. Red Lobster has only one state on their menu – Maine – and yet has no restaurants in Maine. Paris Hilton makes millions using her name alone to sell perfume and other stuff – and yet … People attribute the name with quality - They buy the story. If I can be like her – If I can have that relationship – If I can be her friend… -
Its all about the Heart – even if the cut has nothing to do with the heart. The reason the Hostmedic Agency does reviews is simple. Marketing is a lie – Marketing is an easy way to say “I am lying…” and get paid for it. Clear simple reviews allow the consumer the ability to purchase a quality product without needing to be worried.
Next time your on Buy.com or Amazon – fill in the review – you might just be passing on the savings to another consumer.
Arming Others to Spread Your Word
An old professor once told me “Marketing Ends when Business Ends” and I think he is right.
The church should follow the 10 tactics of Word Of Mouth Marketing that small businesses follow – and make them fit for their own situation. “Customers” references our attendees / members
- Give “customers” a few brochures to pass along.
- Send informative e-newsletters that include a “forward” button.
- Place graphics on your vehicles to stimulate conversation.
- Offer incentives for referrals such as an annual subscription to Net Results Magazine, Netflix or Napster.
- When the job is complete – personally ask for references from friends, family, or business associates… (when the wedding, baptism etc… you get the drift)
- Host informative or fun events and encourage “customers” to bring guests; examples include: movies, games, Parental Guide to the Internet Safety Training Programs, Bible Studies, etc…
- Feature customers or case studies on your website – and include Photos. (COR does this well… www.cor.org – check out their home page “why I attend COR”)
- Send customers hand written birthday or anniversary cards - Form letters are perfunctory
- Send hard copy of the newsletters that highlight special events, trends, and ask customers for friends, family, or fellow workers who might like to be included on the mailing list. (A novel idea – that we started is we mail out our newsletter to different people in teh community every month… We dont give it to those attending via mail – but rather those in the community who don’.t And It works)
- Provide customers with a few extra business cards to have on hand.
Referrals come from many avenues – but it is a direct result of an entire organization pulling together as a team. Those who attend our churches – routinely interact with our target base … simply because this base is their friends, neighbors, and family. We should provide them with enough brochures and business cards to keep in their glove compartments, trucks, cars, or even in the mini-van and instruct them to give a few of these out.
Imagine if our churches initiated just a few simple protocols – we could put the basic word-of-mouth marketing techniques to work for the Kingdom…
your thoughts
