This year, West Ridge Church is working to build anticipation and buzz for both their Easter services and their following sermon series (during the weeks right after Easter).
They’re doing this by heavily promoting a series they’re calling “Elephant in the Church”. The big idea of the series is topics that everyone thinks about, but never talks about. Because the series has a naturally strong visual component, they’ll be using stickers of elephant images around the church to build internal buzz leading up to the event.?These are meant to tease and cause people to ask questions.
Their goal is to build so much anticipation in their congregation, that they are willing to tell their friends about the event. Then, they’re looking to leverage that willingness and buzz to encourage their congregation to invite their friends to the Easter services. They aren’t wanting to spend a bunch of money for external advertising. Rather they want to leverage their people who have already bought in and have been anticipating what’s upcoming.[quote]They want to leverage their people who have already bought in and have been anticipating what’s upcoming.[/quote]
They’ve created a four-phased approach to their marketing strategy. Here’s the rundown both internally (to their people) and externally (to their community) of their strategy for the weeks leading up to Easter.
Phases to Easter Communication Strategy
6-7 Weeks from Easter: Intrigue for Elephant in the Church
Internal Objective: To create conversation and have people around the church asking, ?What?s up with the elephant in the church?? They don’t?want to tell everyone exactly what the series will?be all about yet. They only want to create questions and conversation. They’re also informing people?they’ll share what?s happening in April on March 8th and let them know the crucial role they can play in the process.
4-5 Weeks from Easter: Engagement with Elephant in the Church and Soft Launch of Easter Promo
Internal Objective: To get people involved in the process and contributing to what topics and questions they?d like to see covered during the Elephant in the Church series.
External Objective: Create awareness about Easter at West Ridge.
1-3 Weeks from Easter:?Easter Blitz
Objective: Internal and external marketing solely focused on Easter services.
At Easter Services
Objective: Create memorable experience through Easter services, and get people back next week for Elephant in the Church series.
Communication Schedule
