As online, social and mobile media continue to grow, ministries are still tapping into traditional media for reaching the masses.
It has been fascinating to watch Mark Driscoll, a tech-savvy minister of Mars Hill Church, use traditional radio and television to promote his book “Real Marriage,” cowritten with wife Grace.
On a certain level, the strategy is simple: position and launch the book and ideas to the widest possible audience.
To market nationally, the Driscolls have been using the megaphones of general market and Christian broadcasters:
Television: Fox and Friends, ABC Family, Nightline, Piers Morgan (CNN), The View (ABC), Dr. Drew (HLN), 700 Club
Radio: Alan Colmes (Fox News Radio), Rick and Bubba Show (Cox Radio), Steve Arterburn “New Life Live,” The Debbie Chavez Show (Faithplace.org), and other local radio stations
Power of cross-media marketing
The marketing and ministry outreach for the book also includes a major, nationwide Real Marriage church campaign, an 11-week sermon series from Driscoll, a 10-city tour and a major mobilization of the 500-church Acts 29 Network.
Accompanying resources include a small-group video curriculum, participants guide and promotional videos. 300 pages of additional research – including sermon preparation – are also available (for free) at PastorMark.tv.
The integrated strategy is working.
Published by Thomas Nelson, Real Marriage was for a time the No. 1 hardcover advice book on the New York Times Best Sellers list, a second printing was announced, and tour stops of the marriage event have been selling out.
Media synergy: 1 +1 = 3
With the rise of new media and its potential for global reach, many have said there is less need to use traditional media, whether for broadcasting sermons, advertising, marketing or PR.
It’s true that more and more people are turning to online networks for Christian content. And digital distribution of media is reaching incredible numbers of people all over the world.
While I strongly encourage pastors and churches to include online media in outreach strategies, I would not advise anyone desiring to reach a national audience with the gospel to stop looking for innovative ways to integrate traditional local media into their outreach plans.
I’ve narrowed it down to four reasons why any church should keep traditional media in its communications strategy:
1. They have established relationships with local audiences, churches and sponsors.
2. The fact that “52% of Americans have a profile on Facebook, Linkedin or elsewhere” is impressive, but it also means that 48% of Americans aren’t on social media at all. Many of them can be reached via traditional media.
3. They have feet on the street in the communities they serve and represent their ministry partners 24/7/365.
4. Full-time internet in the car is coming… but not yet. You can still hear inspiring faith-based messages, or be directed to digital content channels, in the car on the way to work by listening to the radio.
Complementary media channels
Traditional media is undergoing massive change, but it’s still here, working hard for the gospel. It would be unwise to leave them out of your communications strategy and have to backtrack when they’ve built new complementary digital platforms in the future.
The Real Marriage media and marketing strategy shows that traditional radio and TV are still valuable because of their reach and power to direct audiences to digital assets, resources, and offline events.
Further, traditional Christian media is still a powerful way to get people to do business with God, doubly and triply so when combined with digital media platforms, yours and theirs.
“It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12