Holy Mackerel! How to Market Your Fish Fry

Lent is here, and you know what that means - it's oh"fish"ally Fish Fry season.

Your church is having one. The Knights of Columbus are having one. The Catholic school is having one. Even the Protestant church down the street is having one!

The Catholic tradition of having fish on Fridays in place of abstinence from meat has grown so popular that even secular organizations like fire stations get in on the game now.

With so many fish fries to compete with, how can you make yours stand out? Here's four tips for a so"fish"ticated marketing strategy.

Cast Out Into the Deep

Let me take a wild guess - the only place you've advertised your fish fry is in the church bulletin.

That's like the equivalent of only fishing on the shore.

Fish fries are a fantastic community event because they attract even marginal Catholics (and non-Catholics!) with their "safety" - you don't have to be religious to enjoy fish after all. Of all the events you share, this is the one to plaster everywhere: community calendars, newspaper and radio events boards, the post office, even your bulletin sponsors' businesses.

If you do this, be sure to take advantage of tip 4 below too, because they go hand-in-hand...or fin-in-fin.

For Heaven's Hake

People are far more likely to give to charitable causes when they know what the money is going towards.

So instead of just a general fish fry, maybe it's a "Fix the Foyer Fish Fry" to repaint the church entryway.

If you can connect your fish fry to a specific project that needs doing at the church, people