Church Marketing Sucks

It’s that time of year for the best of lists, and on the last day of the year we like to share our top 10 posts of 2014. This is the best of the best. It’s not scientific, more subjective and based not merely on popularity or reception, but how engaging, helpful and powerful the posts are. It’s our best. Would you expect anything less?

We have a lot of great content every year and we can’t mention everything. But first a couple honorable mentions:

• Best Title: Is Your Pastor a Nigerian Prince?: Church Email Newsletters for Beginners
  Is your pastor a Nigerian prince, porn star or spammer? We didn’t think so. Stop following poor (and illegal) email practices and set your church up to do email right.
• Best Navel Gazing: Reflecting on 10 Years of Church Marketing Sucks
  A lengthy and self-indulgent reflection on 10 years of Church Marketing Sucks. It’s like a massive Throwback Thursday. Thanks for 10 years.

And the Top 10 Posts of 2014:

10. Church Visitor Cards: How to Connect & Follow Up
Every church needs a way to welcome visitors and invite them to become involved. The church visitor card is standard, but you need to make it effective.

9. How is Your Church Responding to All the Pain in the World?
There’s a lot of pain and anger and hurt in the world right now (like always). So how does your church respond and share hope and love to hurting people?  (A related tip: The best response is in action, not words.)

8. How to Promote Your Church’s VBS
VBS is coming. How are you going to promote your church’s Vacation Bible School? We round up some ideas, tips and strategies.

7. 25 Last-Minute Christmas Ideas
Just as it’s not too late to begin Christmas shopping, it’s not too late to implement some last-minute Christmas promotion strategies at your church. We’ve got 25 ideas. (Numbered Christmas lists were also big: We had 10 social media Christmas ideas and 57 Christmas videos.)

6. You Recharge Your Phone, How About Your Soul?
Our purpose is not to produce, hustle or strive. We’re to abide in God. As communicators we need the right balance to be effective for our churches.

5. 8 Ways Your Church Website Can Welcome First-Time Visitors Before They Arrive
Church shopping isn’t easy. Welcome church visitors online by making your website more helpful and answer questions before they arrive.

4. Design Basics
We did an 11-post series on design basics that covered everything from typography to photography, dealing with revisions and remembering people. With tips for getting better, there’s something for everyone, beginner to pro.

3. I Must Be Doing This Wrong
If you feel like you’re doing it wrong, you’re not alone. No one has it all figured out, but all of us have something figured out. So let’s share.

2. Meet Our Church: Recognizing Volunteers on Facebook
Many churches have a few volunteers who help with everything, but they’re rarely recognized for their hard work. Honor your volunteers with props on social media. (Another great social media idea we posted this year was Throwback Thursday.)

And our top post of 2014…

1. Your Church Is More Than a Worship Service: Finding Other On Ramps
People in your community have no interest in attending your church. It’s not you. And it’s not them. It’s us. We need to change.

Thanks for another great year. What was your favorite post of 2014?

More of the Best

• If you like reading the best, you can always check out the top posts from previous years: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 (our archive goes back farther, but our lists of top posts don’t).
• Don’t forget to check out our top CFCC news of 2014 and our top tweets of 2014.
• Want more church marketing goodness? Check out our resources.