by Kenneth M. Culpepper, DM News, December 12,
1995
I couldn't help but notice the DMA Hall of Fame
located in the lower lobby of the Moscone Center in San Francisco during
this year's DMA Annual Conference. I looked at the famous people recognized
as pioneers in direct marketing -- Sears, Ward, Roebuck, Stone and many
others. As I thought about these individuals, and their impact on direct
marketing, I pondered the Christian non-profit industry. It is disappointing
that we do not recognize such pioneers in direct marketing.
Chicken or The Egg
The daily work environment in any Christian non-profit organization
is populated with a variety of seminary graduates and business men and
women, who eventually face their version of the chicken and the egg controversy:
Is this a ministry or a business?
The organization is concerned with ministering to it's customers by
providing them with quality products and services; however in doing this,
it must turn a profit that continues to compensate for operating expenses
and costs. Is this a ministry and a business? You bet it is! So the next
logical question is: When are we marketing, and when are we ministering?
In the retail world, where promotion is a daily event, there is a great
deal of merchandizing and advertising. Here it is, come and buy it, for
this price. Or, in the publishing world, these are the publications, magazines,
books, videos and curriculum pieces that are offered. Here are some new
changes, here are some new features, new titles, these are the options
-- hey, this is not marketing, and this is not ministering. This is merchandizing,
advertising, promotion and content evaluation.
What's the point?
The point is, in a Christian non-profit organization, effective marketing
is effective ministry.
Take direct marketing for example. Marketing to our customers on an
individual basis will be ministering to our customers on an individual
basis. The products and services that we offer our customers should be
determined by their responses, geo-demographics, lifestage events, behavior,
backgrounds, purchase histories, social issues and occupations. By constructing
a customer ministry profile with these characteristics, we can anticipate/predict
an individual's spiritual resource needs on a perpetual basis. This means
we can minister to the right people, with the right products, at the right
time.
By the way, this is not a new concept. Any direct marketer, Christian
or non-Christian can appreciate the ministry style of the Apostle Paul
of Tarsus. Here is a guy who is not in the DMA Hall of Fame, but what Paul
accomplished from around A.D. 45 - 67 is quite remarkable.
Paul was a student of demography and personal profiles. Each spiritual
message that he communicated was targeted according to whom was receiving
it. Paul is recognized as having one of the most effective ministries of
all time. Why? Because he ministered to people: where they were at any
point of their lives (lifestage event), where they currently lived (geography),
where they came from (background/profile), their religious background (demographics),
and what was going on in their society (social issues).
To the Romans, he spoke according to their laws; to the Greeks, about
their gods; to the Hebrews, according to their practices, heritage, history,
high priests and prophets; to the Corinthians, about morality; to the Philippians,
about materialism. Paul was able to minister to these people because he
customized his message according to their circumstances.
Through the technology of the database, a Christian non-profit organization
can directly minister to it's customers on an individual basis, by targeting
to it's customers the products and services that are of current ministry
value.
For example, a book on instilling Christian values in your children
was not an important product to me before I became a father (lifestage
event). But now that I am a parent, it is of great value. I don't want
to have to wade through all the other products and services to find what
is relative to my spiritual needs at this time. This book would be of greater
ministry to me, if it included help with the time juggling that goes on
between family and career (demographics/age, income and occupation). Does
this book address the future social problems (social issues) that I can
prepare for now as a parent? The combination of a few variables can be
a strong predictor of how to minister (market) to customers.
Most of the information needed to make these predictions about customers
is a by-product of the data organizations typically collect. Basic transaction
data that yields recency, frequency and monetary values of each customer
(RFM Values), can help correlate what area of ministry is currently important
in a customer's life. Demographic, background and behavior data can also
be purchased and appended to the customer's file.
Directly ministering to your customers requires planning, financial
resources and a change in the current way of doing business in most Christian
non-profit organizations. However, it will ultimately determine how successful
your organization will be, as a business, and as a ministry.
Ken Culpepper is president of Integrated Marketing Solutions, Inc.,
a knowledge-base marketing firm that
integrates tactical marketing strategy with management of multiple contacts
of businesses to their customers, prospects and channel customers. IMS
incorporates marketing business planning, long-term corporate ROI strategies,
and marries knowledge-based marketing with e-commerce strategy and systems.
IMS has offices in Atlanta, GA (770) 390-9199 and Nashville, TN (615) 782-0461.
(Web: migmar.com/ims)
Back To Articles Page