What can the "apostle to the apostles" teach us about marketing and evangelization? It's St. Mary Magdalene's feast day today and here are four things we can learn from her witness:
You're going to be misunderstood. NOWHERE in the Bible does it say she was a prostitute. Literally nowhere. So just know: when you talk about something you're passionate about, whether that be marketing your ministry or evangelizing for the church, you're going to be misunderstood.
Share your past. I've loved the representation of Mary Magdalene in The Chosen particularly because it shows how she's able to use this past experience that she's had of being freed from demonic possession as part of her witness story. Sharing your past experiences is also valuable in marketing and evangelization because it establishes your "authority" and makes you relatable.
Don't be afraid to preach to the choir. Mary Magdalene is known as the apostle to the apostles because she is the first to tell them of Jesus's Resurrection. Remember, people need constant repetition in order for marketing to be effective. I don't know anyone who is going to convert just because of one social media post or who's going to necessarily buy your course or product just because you mentioned it once in your story. Even if it feels like preaching to the choir, you have to be repetitive. Because guess what, even though Jesus had told them all many times that he was going to rise from the dead, the apostles still didn't believe Mary when she told them the news.
Change someone's life and they'll become your best brand advocate. I think it's safe to say that Jesus fundamentally changed Mary's life, so much so that she upended her life to follow him. What we need to do is Catholic marketers is change people's lives and oftentimes that involves changing their spiritual life as well. Even though chances are your ministry isn't driving out demons, I'll bet you solve a deep pain point for your target audience. Market the change that you can bring, and they'll do all of the marketing you could ever want.
Let's go out and be apostles, friends.