What are the media tools used in promotion?

Promotion uses a toolbox of specific means, methods and delivery systems we commonly refer to as "media".

Promotional media tools are any devices, methods or systems that help us store, organize and convey information to others. These tools can be one-to-one, like a telephone call, or one-to-many, like a website, podcast or television broadcast.

From the age of the printing press, to the age of desktop publishing, to the age of web-based communication, promotional media has been closely tied to the technologies of the day. This is why it is often efficient to talk about communications and technologies together--and why you will see the two areas intermingled on Communicorps.com.

There are tools that obviously fall into the media category, such as:

Printed materials. Strengths include low cost to produce and credibility--people take more seriously something in print. Weakness is the speed of the North American culture, which does not take time to read or digest printed materials as it used to. The question to ask with print--can we get the messsage across in the 5-10 seconds the average person will look at the promotional piece?

Videos. Strengths include high effectiveness and retention with younger generations, and control of message in length, content and creativity by production and editing team. Weaknesses are the high cost of professional-looking production, and time involved in gathering and editing footage. The question to ask with video--is there an easier way to communicate this? or, what about this can only be communicated with video?

Websites. Strengths include high usage through all generations, low cost and instant availability. The web is also image-equal--with a little work you have the same real estate on a screen that Disney does and can make any kind of impression you want. Weakness is that everybody has a website--making yours known and building a base of regular visitors is going to take time and effort. The web is also a solo-act. People go online alone, and it's difficult to find a real sense of community. The question to ask with the web--how can we best migrate a web visitor into our community of faith?

Email. Strengths include low cost and high penetration in North America. Weaknesses include high spam levels, leading to low readership. Building an email list of people who want to read your message is getting harder. Send too many in a given week or month, and even loyal readers will unsubscribe. The question to ask with email--am I keeping them brief and sending them infrequently enough that the recipient will attach importance to the information.

Radio. Strengths include relatively low cost in broadcast promotion, and the ability to capture the attention of local "planted" residents (passers-by seldom listen to local radio). Weaknesses include high repitition rates needed to get an average recall rate on your ad--and broadcast ads are really good for promoting events. The question to ask with radio--do I have the budget funds necessary to do a volume of ads necessary to make this effective?

Television. Strengths include a visual medium with higher recall rate. TV ads for churches are usually not very effective, however. Some churches have television ministries which rebroadcast services or Sunday messages--these tend to make the church well known in its own region or beyond, but often not in their own neighborhoods. Weaknesses include high cost--often a television ministry takes a high percentage of worship-related resources to manage. The question to ask with television--what is it we really want to accomplish with TV broadcast, and is it central to our mission as a local church?

Telephone. Strengths include personal interaction and follow-through. Phone calls usually end in a result--one way or the other. Guests will usually react very positively or very negatively to a phone call, depending on the caller, tone and content. Weaknesses include privacy issues--people are more guarded about talking on the phone these days. Also, the answering machine and caller ID screens most calls. The questions to ask with telephone calls--when are the best time(s) to call, and who among our lay and staff teams has a great phone personality?

Fax. Strengths include low cost and relatively high penetration--especially in the business community. Broadcast fax software for computers is also inexpensive. Weaknesses include a concentration in the business community versus homes, and a waning interest or tolerance for broadcast faxes. The question to ask with fax--what unique ministry can I provide to the business community that would be well served via this medium?

We must also include the most powerful of communications tools-- word of mouth. Nothing we can do in terms of promotion and advertising will have the impact of one person telling another person about Christ, their church or a specific ministry. To encourage word of mouth, the church body must be informed, engaged and enthusiastic about their involvement and their faith family. The question to ask with word of mouth promotion--are our people informed and enthusiastic enough to make this happen? Remember, you can't create good word of mouth--you can only put together an environment where it is likely to occur.

What about the pulpit? The primary purpose of the pulpit is not to promote the church. Rather, the pulpit is a primary avenue through which the church leader teaches God's Word and reveals God's direction for the church through preaching.

I don't believe in using the pulpit as a primary or weekly promotional tool--that is, having the pastor either make announcements or pitch this ministry or that to the congregation. I don't disagree with some announcement time for the service--and I think it is best placed at the very, very end, after everything else, so as not to distract from the worship and teaching time. The questions to ask with the pulpit--who besides the pastor is the best person to make these announcements, and how can we make them without disrupting what God wants to communicate through His Word in the service?

About the Author. Eugene Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...