Church Marketing Plan Step Four: Implementation

Now that Your Marketing Plan Team has:

• Completed Step 1: Values & Vision and has identified your church’s:
  • Values
  • Demographics
  • Vision
  • Key Messaging/Elevator Statement
• Completed Step 2: Perception & Needs and has identified:
  • Perception
  • Needs
• Completed Step 3: Strategy and has identified:
  • S.W.O.T.
  • Target Audience
  • Strategic Objective
  • Goals
  • Resources

It’s time to take the fourth step to focus on implementation. This step will help your Marketing Team:

• Brainstorm, plan and implement the specific tactics and tools that will support your church’s goals and measurable objectives to reach its target audience.

Step 4: What's Involved

Homework

• Homework: Tactics

Action Steps

• Action Step 1: Tactics Brainstorming & Prioritizing Session
• Action Step 2: Marketing Plan Development & Review
• Action Step 3: Marketing Plan Approval & Implementation

Marketing Plan Deliverables

• Goals/measurable objectives with supporting tactics
• Timing/deadlines
• Person/team coordinating
• Budget information
  

What will I learn?
During this step, your team will participate in sessions to plan the tactics you will use to meet your MARKETING PLAN goals.

Reading through this section and reflecting on work accomplished so far will help you:

• Focus on what the group will be discussing and trying to accomplish during the Tactics Brainstorming and Prioritizing Session.
• Think and be ready to share about potential tactics. As the group comes together there will be “real” ideas to share, and the momentum will build for even more ideas to be discussed.
  

How long will it take?
One to 1.5 hours (longer if you choose to do further study).

Download WorksheetHomework: Tactics

Who?
Marketing Plan Coordinator with the Marketing Plan Team members.

How long will it take?
Planning: One to two weeks.
Brainstorming session: Three to four hours.
Review and prioritize: Four to ten hours.

Why?
During this step, your team will come back together for a brainstorming session to develop a lengthy list of potential tactics/tools/ideas to be considered to support the church’s efforts to reach its target audience and objectives/measurable goals. They will then prioritize that list for implementation.

The marketing coordinator will organize these tactics into the detailed, ready to implement portion of your marketing plan. The team will have one more opportunity to review and make any final modifications..

What will I accomplish?
At the end of this step, you will have your MARKETING PLAN – a living, continually evolving document – that will be referenced for months/years to come. This document will serve as your church’s roadmap both now and into the future to organize, guide and monitor/track your efforts to connect and communicate with your target audience and community.

Download Worksheets Action Step 1: Tactics Brainstorming & Prioritizing
Action Step 2: Marketing Plan Development & Review
Action Step 3: Marketing Plan Approval & Implementation

Additional Reading and Resources:

• What is brainstorming? What are some tips and guidelines for effective brainstorming?
• What are some brainstorming activites our Marketing Plan Team can use?
• Won't You Be My Neighbor?
• Launching and Communicating to the Congregation
• Sample 1: Goals/Measurable Objectives/Tactics Chart
• Sample 2: Goals/Measurable Objectives/Tactics Chart
• Rethink Church materials
• The Blogging Church, by Brian Bailey & Terry Storch
• Church Marketing 101, by Richard L. Reising
• The Public Relations Writer’s Handbook, by Merry Aronson & Don Spetner

Download Step Four

•  Implementation: Choosing a Happy Trail
• Church Marketing Plan Worksheet - Complete Document
  • Word Format
  • PDF Format