Missionaries need to do more to brand and market themselves for churches. Like it or not churches have a limited missions budget and you as a missionary must convince a church to give you a portion of that budget. One way to do this is to focus on what distinguishes you from the crowd.
10 Helpful Marking & Branding Tips for Missionaries
1) To begin with, you should have a well thought out Mission Statement. This should be no more than three to five sentences. Then you should have an even shorter version known as an Elevator Pitch which is a single sentence that describes your mission.
2) The next thing a missionary should do is outline at least three goals with timetables that you intend to accomplish. People need to see that you have a mission, goals, and a plan. Be prepared to report back on these goals later.
3) You should create a logo for yourself that is timeless and memorable. A logo that is hard to forget. This logo along with colors will make it easy for people to recognize and remember you.
[clickToTweet tweet=”A logo is not a brand, but it is the culmination of everything expressed in one simple image.” quote=”A logo is not a brand, but it is the culmination of everything about your brand expressed in one simple image.”]
4) As a missionary, you have just a few traditional marketing tools at your disposal. Though you may want to innovate and branch out from these I have a few suggestions on the traditional ones.
5) First, don’t skimp on your table top display. Get an eye catching display that matches the rest of your brand. Consider that you may end up at a missions conference with hundreds of other tables. You don’t want to get lost in the crowd. Consider having an iPad setup on a stand where people can sign up for an email list. Maybe have a TV with your missionary video on loop. Also get a table throw with your logo on it.
6) Get a Website. These days everyone is digital and a good way to get noticed is to have a well-designed website. This website should include your missionary updates, as well as contact information, a list of your supporting churches and individuals. And of course a place to donate.
7) Along with this, you might want to consider implementing a social strategy to raise awareness of what you are doing through blogging about your daily life and using Facebook, and Twitter to promote these stories.
8) Your missionary prayer card should be a high-quality design with a very strong Call to Action on it. Maybe consider having a business card and bookmark as well.
9) Your missions video is the pinnacle to selling yourself. It should be short and to the point emphasizing your goals your mission statement and your elevator pitch. Consider this when making your video. Audio quality is most important. Even if you can’t get high-quality video people are more forgiving on video quality if the audio is good.
10) Follow up is important as that will most likely net you, even more, support once you are on the field. It will become very important to be as connected as possible with your supporters once you are on the field.
BONUS TIP!
- Consider getting yourself listed in a directory like this one: http://ibnet.org/
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