What is "Branding Your Church"?
It sounds like something that happens at the ranch or down on the farm. But it's not.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.
Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.
The objectives that a good brand (from a church perspective) will achieve include:
Delivers the message clearly
Confirms your credibility
Connects your target prospects emotionally
Motivates
Creates loyalty
To succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your target audience and your prospects.
How do we do that with your church?
We do this by integrating your brand strategies through your church at every point of public contact.
Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of your people, parishioners, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot.
A strong brand is invaluable and will draw people to your church for all the right reasons. Therefore it is important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your local church's brand. Many times it ties back to your denominational brand. It is important that the brand be harmonized with the full denomination if your church is part of a larger denomination. Remember, your brand is a source of a promise to folks who are hurting and looking to find what their soul longs for.
Some classic branding errors to avoid!
When Coke launched in China they naturally wanted to retain the 'Coca-Cola' name. There first attempt in Chinese was 'Ke-kou-ke-la' which had the benefit of sounding similar, but unfortunately meant "bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax" depending on the dialect.
Coke's second brand naming attempt was more effective, using a different set of characters to present "ko-kou-ko-le," which can be loosely translated as "happiness in the mouth."
Coke isn't the only company to have problems in brand naming in new markets:
In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead."
Also in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan "finger-lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off."
When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it was apparently unaware that "no va" means "it won't go."
Ford had a similar problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped. The company found out that Pinto was Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals". Ford pulled all the nameplates off and substituted Corcel, which means horse.
All of this is meant to be humorous. But, the point is very serious. We need to create a brand that is culturally and contextually relevant to the folks who drive past our churches every day.