How to Identify Your Church’s Community Persona, Part 2

Tony-Morgan If you ask most churches, they are genuinely seeking how to reach their community. Identifying your target visitor through building a community persona is the first step.

Next, you need to figure out how to reach those you have identified and meet their needs.

One important way to achieve this is through generational marketing. Each audience is shaped by different life experiences, traditions and values and should be communicated to using the appropriate and effective channels.

Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964):

Boomers adopt technology with enthusiasm. They are willing to try new brands/products.
Boomers make up one-third of all online users, social media users and Twitter users, and they watch the most video.
96 percent of baby boomers participate in word-of-mouth or viral marketing.

Generation X (1965 to 1976):

This generation views 75 percent of direct mailers as valuable.
They are more connected by mobile technology.
They value transparency.
They celebrate diversity and avoid references to heritage and tradition.
They like to research while shopping online. They read more reviews and visit more opinion sites.

Generation Y (1977 to 1995):

Generation Y values texts and emails as the top means to communicate.
They view phone calls as an invasion of privacy.
They are highly visual and prefer stories told through visual elements, like videos and photos.

Now that you know who you’re reaching and how to communicate with them, it’s time to get out there and meet needs! Here are a few ideas to discover community needs and discern who in your church can meet them.

1. Connect with city officials. Find out what aspects of the community are lacking in funds, such as:

Local parks
School needs
Community gardens
Food pantries
Pregnancy centers

2. Decipher giftedness within the church. Enact old-school spiritual gifts surveys and access the church database to discover the careers and passions of your church body.

3. Select the project that intersects most. Do that project with the generational needs of your community and the giftedness of your church.

By taking the time to really get to know the makeup of your community, you can better reach them in their daily lives, meet their needs and attract them to your church.

Learn more about which marketing methods will reach your audience most effectively through this free Church Marketing eBook.

This post is a sponsored post from faithHighway, one of the current site sponsors at TonyMorganLive.com.

Tony Morgan is the chief strategic officer and founder of TonyMorganLive.com. He’s a consultant, leadership coach and writer who helps churches get unstuck and have a bigger impact. For 14 years, Tony served on the senior leadership teams at West Ridge Church (Dallas, Ga.), NewSpring Church (Anderson, S.C.) and Granger Community Church (Granger, Ind.). With Tim Stevens, Tony has co-authored Simply Strategic Stuff, Simply Strategic Volunteers and Simply Strategic Growth—each of which offers valuable, practical solutions for different aspects of church ministry. His book Killing Cockroaches (B&H Publishing) challenges leaders to focus on the priorities in life and ministry.

For the original article, visit tonymorganlive.com.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you’re not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.