Only a few more hours until the ball drops and a new decade is here!
We all love to make New Year's Resolutions: I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to read the Bible every day, I'm going to work out more, etc.
But what about New Year's Resolutions for your ministry?
Here are four things to think about when creating a New Year's Resolution for your Catholic marketing:
Make it realistic. Going into a gym around the third week of January will tell you that most people do not end up sticking to their resolutions. That's because most resolutions are idealistic and not backed up by a plan. Don't fall into the glittery trap of newness! The chances that you'll complete everything on your to do list by Tuesday of every week or come out with 30 new programs this year are slim. Instead, make two or three big goals for your ministry this year, and invite your team to do the same for both themselves as individuals and for the ministry as a whole. Then, together as a group, pick the two or three from that list that you all agree are the top priority and lay out a plan as to how you'll accomplish these goals together. And then write it down, and hold each other accountable!
Keep evangelization in mind. I'd like to challenge you to make one of your Catholic marketing goals this year about evangelization. Why? Because without evangelization, there's no point to our ministries! Think about how your ministry can reach out to the "nones" this year and effect change in their lives in a meaningful way. This type of goal also allows you and your ministry to think outside of itself, which is when the biggest types of growth tend to happen.
Think about the extras. I have a lot of people come to me saying they want to start a social media presence or email marketing campaign. When I ask them about their content production, though, we quickly realize that they don't produce enough content already to fill social media's demands for daily fresh content. So before you make a Catholic marketing goal, don't forget to survey what you already have (especially time) and see if the goal can be fulfilled.
Don't go for numbers. Setting a number-based goal for yourself only leads to one of two options: defeat when you don't reach your number or complacency once you do. As Catholic marketers, we cannot get too caught up in numbers. What if Jesus had set a goal of having 24 apostles instead of 12? Would He have spent intentional time with each of them if He was so worried about getting the rest of His number up? Similarly, what if Peter had given himself a goal of only converting 2,000 people? He would have met his goal and then become complacent in his ministry in just one day! Instead of numbers, define "success" for your ministry in terms of quality. For example, instead of determining a sales or donations goal in numbers, give yourself the goal of completely funding a particular project or getting new customers/donors as well as repeats. Non-numbers based goals allow you to grow and also feel successful throughout the year, not just once you reach (or don't reach) the desired number. Additionally, numbers are a way of us feeling in control of outcomes (I'll be happy when...) instead of letting God work through our ministries while we rely completely on our trust in Him to make it happen.
Need some ideas on Catholic marketing resolutions you should make for your ministry for 2020? We've got 20 of them!
Redo your website to be more inviting and storytelling.
Attend a conference on an area you're weak in.
Learn a new Catholic marketing skill.
Produce new, regular content in your area of expertise.
Collaborate with a competitor. Be surprised by the growth it brings for both of you!
Be brave and reach out to an aspirational client or collaborative organization to start the conversation.
Create a new product or service.
Begin tithing 10% of your ministry's time, talent, or treasure.
Start a blog, podcast, or video series.
Set aside a few minutes to pray together with your staff or community each day.
Advertise to a new market or audience you haven't tried before.
Update your marketing materials.
Create an elevator pitch and try to use it at least once a week.
Write a prayer for your ministry and pray it every day.
Become regular with your social media or email marketing content flow.
Invest in a new tool that will help you increase time and efficiency.
Define your ministry's vision and mission statement.
Go through and update every page on your website for SEO, accessibility, and/or content modification.
Figure out your time budget and say no to any projects that do not fit in that time budget.
Say yes to every prompt God puts on your heart for your ministry this year.