Some people in our churches do not understand why “branding” is essential. The first thing to remember here is that branding does not mean that you see your church as a product. One of its goals is to help your church stand out and appeal to the people in your community. Branding a church is about showing the people that you are a place they would want to go to, a community they would want to belong to. To do these things successfully, you should know how to brand your church effectively and maintain it. To achieve that, a branding guide is essential. Here is the importance of a branding book for churches
It helps you stand out.
Standing out doesn’t necessarily mean competing with other churches. You must stand out in your community because, for some reason, people are going to be drawn to your church. Maybe because of your service style, or maybe they see how happy your congregation is in your ministry. The bottom line is that you’ve been brought into ministry in your area to reach the people in your locality especially.
Each church in the community wants to be distinguished and stand out. Remember that our main goal is for our churches to fulfill their mission remarkably, not about competing with others. A branding book will help you stand out and show off who you are as a church.
Connects you to people
On an emotional level, a strong brand connects with individuals. This could lead to positive connections and a deeper relationship when engaging with every person coming into your church. People may not recall the message you preached weeks ago, but they will remember how they felt at the time.
When your church is visited for the first time by a family, how do they feel? This relation is cultivated by your branding and will fuel any potential discussions within that family regarding whether to attend your church or not. Having a guide for your church’s branding will help you strengthen your connection with people in your community.
Shows your core values
Your church promotes and the mindset with which you handle things to make you who you are, your core beliefs. Since branding is about your logo, you have to consider everything else that encompasses your church and how the community views it. It is important to make it represent what specific things your church stands for and values the most.
Showing that through your branding reveals who you are to your community. It’s vital that when people hear your church’s name or even see your logo, they’ll be reminded of what you care about. Through a branding book, you can appropriately and effectively develop your branding regarding your church’s values.
Increases Engagement
When your branding is great, it makes people think highly of your church. When they respond positively to your church, they would want to participate and be involved. They are more likely to get involved in your outreach programs, group events, and community projects when they connect with the church through your brand.
A strong brand makes it easier for the community to engage and connect with your church. The more positive and appealing your church builds, the more likely people will interact with you. A branding book helps you establish a consistent image with your congregation to increase interaction and encourage connection with them.
Conclusion:
We know many might not see the importance of a branding book for churches. It may even be hard to incorporate a branding guide into your church’s system, but it will help you a lot with how you connect with your people. It is necessary to communicate to your team why you need this, even if it needs to be done repeatedly. Consistency strengthens trust. Trust establishes loyalty over time. These will be achieved through developing your church’s brand.
P.S. Looking for more info about branding and the church, we did a podcast with Tim Newton, the Senior Creative Officer at Ramsey Solutions. Click here to listen.