Since 2020, I have served in a volunteer capacity as the Leadership Board Chair at First United Methodist Church of Miami. With the end of my term quickly approaching, I have been reminiscing about my journey with the church because we have such a unique story! In 2018 our church sold the land our original building was on (in a prime area of Downtown Miami) to developers who tore it down and built a 48-floor high-rise condo. Now our new church sanctuaries, offices, and a church-owned retail coffee shop occupy the first 13 floors of the high-rise. Additionally, during its construction our First Church Miami Leadership Board worked with an agency to create a new logo and brand identity. Looking back, it was long hours but truly rewarding work and I was fortunate to combine my marketing experience with my volunteer commitment. Now with a new building and a new brand identity, the church has entered a phase of marketing itself to its neighbors in Downtown Miami and surrounding cities. The important work of growing the congregation by engaging with potential new members is top priority.
This got me thinking about what ways marketing outreach for religious & faith-based organizations (RFB) differs from the ways in which traditional businesses market their products and services. I recently posed this question to some trusted experts in the areas of marketing, religion, and academia to hear their thoughts on the following question:
“Do you think that marketing for religious and faith-based organizations needs to
be positioned differently than the marketing strategies traditional companies use
to reach prospective customers? Or are there enough similar go-to-market tactics that
a different approach is not necessary? (for example: raising “profit” vs. asking for “tithes & offerings).”
I received some great feedback to my question. I found all of them to be valuable, and a few of them surprising. Before we look more deeply into the differences and similarities, I’d like to share my contributors’ responses.
Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing and Logistics
Florida International University, College of Business
“I would say that for-profit firms and non-profit institutions have more in common than you might think. At their core, both are focused on providing some kind of value. In that sense, spiritual offerings are no different than other kinds of offerings (and indeed, spiritual services could be provided by organizations that are either for-profit or not).
A basic tenet of marketing is that all firm activities, including communications, should fundamentally support and align with the firm’s mission. My sense is that this may be especially important for religious organizations. For example, it might be okay for Wendy’s to generate Tweets poking fun at rivals. Those same Tweets might hit different coming from @LDSOfficial.
Scientific research has found that morals are eroded in marketplaces. This might be one reason why any marketplace activity (e.g., advertising) could seem at odds with religious organizations’ values. For that same reason, it might be particularly important for religious institutions to convey their values through their marketing communications. Doing so might help reassure people (on a subconscious level) that the organization remains focused on its spiritual mission.”
Marketing Specialist
M.S. Marketing Graduate 2024, Florida International University
“I believe religious marketing needs to be positioned differently than traditional marketing, although it can still incorporate many of the same traditional and modern techniques used today. Religious marketing should focus on core values and messages that align with the fundamental beliefs of the religion, which often requires a more thoughtful approach.
However, there are effective ways to communicate these beliefs in a way that resonates with everyday consumers, such as using relatable language and leveraging digital platforms. A great example of this is the “He Gets Us” campaign, which successfully stays true to religious values while targeting a younger audience through modern marketing channels.”
Community Engagement Coordinator, Miami City Ballet
M.S. Marketing Graduate 2024, Florida International University
“Religious marketing messages should be positioned differently than traditional business marketing. While commercial tactics such as branding and outreach can be shared, the core focus for faith-based organizations lies in fostering community, promoting service to others, and building trust through spiritual and ethical messaging. This emotional and ethical connection creates a deeper bond with the audience that traditional profit-driven businesses often don’t emphasize.”
Senior Pastor
First United Methodist Church of Miami
“Religious and faith-based organizations require a different approach to marketing than traditional businesses because they are not simply offering a product but a lifestyle that is based in a person’s core values and beliefs which require a large amount of trust to initially commit. Although RFB orgs are offering a “product”, the product they are offering is often not tangible at first and requires a person to be a “repeat consumer” to experience all the benefits of the product. (i.e. – community, friendship, relationships, purpose, giving back).”
Founder
The Mighty Media Shop
“I believe it’s essential to incorporate core marketing strategies into a faith-based organization’s go-to-market plan. Like any brand, these organizations aim to capture the attention and engagement of their audience. In recent years, a notable shift in brand marketing has been the emphasis on creating a sense of community, as seen with brands like Nike, Lego, Starbucks, and Harley Davidson. These brands foster a loyal following where enthusiasts proudly identify with their products.
Similarly, at the heart of every faith-based organization is the desire to expand their community, making these tactics highly relevant and applicable. In fact, many marketing strategies used by traditional businesses can be effectively adapted for faith-based organizations, as both share similar goals of outreach, engagement, and building lasting relationships with their audiences. By leveraging these strategies, faith-based organizations can enhance their impact and foster deeper connections within their communities.”
Interestingly, there was nearly a 50/50 split in the opinions shared by our five contributors. While there are differences in marketing messaging that a religious or faith-based organization can use in their outreach, there are just as many marketing strategies that remain the same.
As stated by Pastor Audrey, Cindy Montoya, and Bianca Guirado, marketing for religious and faith-based institutions stand apart from traditional company marketing primarily because the entirety of an RFB’s go-to-market strategy is built upon successfully communicating the organization’s mission, core values, sense of community, and building long-lasting relationships through spiritual connection. This is a different marketing approach than one taken by product-driven companies whose aim is to attract customers and build loyalty through the sales of goods, services, or ideas.
On the other hand, Professor Chapman and Alana White share the opinion that despite some differences there are more similarities in marketing strategy between religious and faith-based institutions and traditional companies than a casual observer might assume.
Let’s explore at a high level some of the differences and similarities between the two. First, here are a few of the ways in which RBF marketing and traditional company marketing differ:
Messaging Faith & Values vs. Products & Services
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: Churches tend to market themselves using themes around faith, community, and spiritual enhancement or transformation. These emphasize a values-based approach appealing to emotions such as goodness, spiritual growth, service to others, and compassion. These organizations highlight how they provide a space to fulfill an individual’s need for connection, a sense of belonging, and the gifts of hope and purpose.
- Traditional Companies: Focus is often on the “4 P’s” (product, promotion, price, place) or the “4 C’s” (customer value, communication, cost to customer, convenience) which are taught as core principles in marketing. Traditional marketing messaging plays up the unique benefits and selling points of a product. The goal is to provide a prospective consumer with a tangible product or service to better their life or to solve a problem.
Emphasis on Core Values of Ethics & Morals
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: The audience expects a church’s outreach to reflect values like humility, honesty, and integrity.
— Faith-based institutions rely on successfully marketing to communicate their high levels of
moral and ethical behavior. Any fractures in alignment between what a church does and
what a church messages leads to their loss of credibility. —
- Traditional Companies: Although companies realize the importance of ethics and integrity, audiences give them more wiggle room. Marketing strategies such as offering promotions, discounts, endorsements, and the use of obnoxious/crude messaging may be perceived as more acceptable in a sales environment.
Fostering Belonging vs. Consumerism
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: The priority of my church (and all RFBs) is to invite individuals to engage with a faith community and feel a sense of fulfilment through a relationship based upon joint beliefs. By providing a sense of belonging and encouraging participation through membership, giving, and involvement with church activities, a congregation’s growth is fostered in meaningful and spiritual ways as opposed to selling a product.
- Traditional Companies: The core purpose of a business marketing strategy is to generate revenue. By acquiring new customers, retaining existing customers, and converting customers into repeat buyers, they look to sustain the longevity of their business through happy customers and ongoing engagement with the brand.
Alternatively, there are similar marketing practices deployed by both sectors to effectively reach and engage their audiences. Here are some of the commonalities:
Brand, Brand Identity, & Positioning
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: Like traditional companies, churches and other faith-based institutions must have a strong, consistent brand and identity that creatively communicates their core values, mission, and sense of community. By creating a logo, impactful messaging, and presenting the ways in which their RFB differs from other religious organizations, a cohesive marketing strategy is important to grow church attendance.
- Traditional Companies: Similarly, businesses also rely on logos, defined brand identities, and effective communication of their value proposition to make them easily recognizable while differentiating themselves from competitors.
Engagement & Building Relationships
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: Religious organizations must establish and maintain strong long-term relationships with individuals and families in their congregation. It is important to convey a sense of community and belonging through their communications and to build the community by hosting in-person events and encouraging one-to-one outreach.
- Traditional Companies: Here too, businesses must focus on building consumer relationships through cohesive messaging and pricing methods including personalized communication, excellent customer service, providing engaging marketing content, and deployment of loyalty programs to generate repeat business and ongoing loyalty.
Reputation Management
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: Reputation is what religious institutions must live or die by. The strength of their reputation relates to how the outside community perceives them. By exemplifying traits like credibility and trust, an organization must actively manage its reputation through transparency, positive behaviors, consistent messaging, and community engagement.
- Traditional Companies: Businesses also need to ensure positive community perception of their reputation. By using tools like online reviews and influencer endorsements along with employing public relations firms and media agencies, companies can monitor and actively work to maintain a positive image and respond to negative complaints in the public domain.
Call to Action (CTA)– The Most Important Similarity!
- Religious & Faith-Based Orgs: Our church considers an individual responding to any of our CTAs as the warmest touchpoint we are fortunate to get!
While religious organizations do not market themselves through traditional sales tactics, churches
and faith-based groups do use Calls to Action (CTAs) inviting people to join services, donate, volunteer,
encourage event participation, or simply to inquire for more information.
- Traditional Companies: Businesses use CTAs to drive actions with the end goal being to convert a prospective customer’s interest into a purchase. Examples of CTAs embedded into marketing outreach include encouragement to purchase a product, asking for sign-ups to newsletters, interacting with the brand on social media, or attending events.
In reflecting over the contributors’ insights along with the comparisons I’ve provided between the marketing strategies employed by religious & faith-based organizations vs. the ways in which traditional businesses market themselves, I have come to side more with the contributors who raised the similarities in marketing tactics shared by both sectors.
Ultimately, whether it’s an RFB or a traditional company, their brand’s positioning, consistent tone of voice across all modes, and their desired end result (attracting, maintaining, and growing congregations or selling products and retain customer loyalty) are what sets the two apart.