Here are my stream-of-consciousness notes from Dawn Nicole Baldwin’s Church Branding breakout at Innovation3. If your church is in need of some branding & identity strategy/consultation, do yourself a favor and get in touch with Dawn at AspireOne.
The notes: Why are we here? We have an amazing story. But there are barriers to communicating that amazing story.
Sometimes churches seem like they have multiple personality disorder because every ministry communicates a different message.
Brand (v.) — the practice of delivering a promise that reflects the mission, uniqueness, and personality of your organization.
It’s not a logo, an ad campaign, or a website
Who are you serving? Who are you not serving?
Blanding – when a brand attempts to be all things to all people, it becomes watered-down and bland.
Positioning – determining how you want to be defined by your audience.
What is your unique thumbprint?
Apple is very specific about who they are and who they’re serving.
Harley Davidson — rebellious, free spirit
Volvo – safety
Nike – athletic excellence
The power of perception: Students guessed that a pair of diamond & platinum earrings at Tiffany’s were $800+ — shown the same picture of the earrings but told they were from Walmart, students guessed the earrings were $83.99.
What are others saying about you? Is it true?
What do we want to be known for?
If we’re not intentional about defining who we are, others will do it for us.
The Comm. Dept. doesn’t own your brand — everyone in your church is an ambassador of the brand.
We’re not offering products, we’re offering experiences. That changes how we market ourselves.
Two-way dynamic — Don’t ask “What are we trying to say?” Ask “What conversation do we want to create?”
Mass-marketing/Push marketing ain’t the way to go anymore!
Brand experience — everything people see that comes out of your organization should be consistent (services, website, greeters, events, name, logo, etc.)
A lot of times we focus on our first impressions when we should focus on our lasting impressions.
Case Study: Covenant Life Christian Church in Tampa, Florida
Name and logo didn’t capture the heart of the church at all
They were diverse and hospitable
Changed name to Solera Community Church
New logo and print pieces were created to reflect variety, diversity, and hospitality — gave an accurate feel for who the church was
Strategic Branding Framework:
Vision >> Brand Strategy
WHO are you serving?
WHAT are your unique strengths?
HOW do you reach people?
Understand your audience – understand their needs and desires
What kinds of things are keeping them up at night?
Granger Community Church developed a strong audience profile.
Who their audience is, what they like, what they want, what they don’t want
Granger redesigned and reorganized their websites to meet the needs of their audience
There’s a difference between reaching more people and reaching people more effectively.
Direct mail is successful with a 1-2% response rate. In what other area is a 98% failure rate considered OK?
Jim Collins’s Hedgehog Concept from Good to Great — what is your church’s unique passion and purpose? why are you here?