Is email marketing for churches all that different from commercial email marketing? Not at all. Every email marketing strategy is to communicate, connect, and convert readers to subscribers and consumers.
In this day and age, every church must learn the latest digital marketing trends and techniques to stay relevant and connected to their existing and future congregants.
Email marketing is the oldest yet most reliable digital marketing method a church can employ. It also provides a “captured audience” already interested in your content.
With email campaigns, you can promote your newsletter, broadcast updates, collect member information more efficiently, and share relevant and helpful content.
And that’s only the beginning. A strong communication strategy that includes emails and, when necessary, text messaging is also beneficial for community outreach, church growth, and greeting and assimilating first-time visitors.
Emails take forethought, thought, and cautious management, like other communication methods. When you recall basic principles and respect recipients, you’ll grasp a powerful tool that generates outcomes.
Let’s explore five strategies that will let you send emails that connect and bring in conversions effectively:
1. Make Sure Your Content Is Useful
Emails are frequently skimmed rather than thoroughly read. As such, make sure your material is concise and to the point. Include bullets and headings to help readers who skim emails get the main points, such as when the forthcoming bake sale will be held or who is next in line to be an usher at Sunday church.
Try to make the content of your emails relevant and church-related. Include or feature a ministry in every email campaign, such as the children’s ministry, youth, market workplace, and so on.
2. Send Emails Regularly
Consistency is an essential component of any successful email strategy. This doesn’t mean that you should blast emails daily. Unless, of course, that is part of your strategy or plan. You should, however, send out emails regularly that your church will come to expect getting emails from you.
If you send out regular messages, congregants will remember your church. Indeed, if you send out your messages on a regular basis, many individuals would look forward to your “Wednesday devotions” or “weekly highlights.”
Some may even inquire if they can contribute to certain emails over time. It is up to you and the church leaders whether you let them, but this is a great way to collect content and keep your sending schedule consistent.
3. Create Intriguing Topic Lines
What should your email subject lines be? Since mobile users can only see so many characters in their emails, you should write subject lines that are both engaging and brief. Try something intriguing like “What did Jesus say about jealousy?” or something more direct, like “Important dates for this month’s church events.”
4. Commemorate Church Achievements and Success Stories
Keep in mind that a church is a microcosm of a community. Milestones, success stories, and enjoyable events should be shared with your congregation, guests, and supporters at all times.
It’s not bragging if you state you raised a specific amount of money for a local charity, or you have sent a missionary abroad, or that a kid was born to a couple who married in your church last year. These can strengthen your church’s sense of community and even attract visitors who want to see the fruits of your efforts in person.
5. Link Content to Your Website or Social Media Profiles
You can send subscribers to other websites by including links in your email. Do you want to send your members a fresh YouTube video? Do you believe an item on your blog is relevant to your most recent email? Include a link to it with a call to action. This can result in visitors watching your content for longer, increasing their total engagement with your church.
Most email marketing solutions allow you to track how many people click on each link. This can assist you in making long-term decisions about which kind of links to include based on which ones receive the most responses.
Conclusion
Once you’ve started your church email marketing program, stick with it. The idea is to keep in touch with interested church members and stay in the minds of those who receive your emails.
If you need a church marketing strategy that works, partner with ChurchCandy. We use a proven digital marketing strategy to get new families to consistently visit your church. You can choose from our different packages based on your church’s needs. Schedule a free discovery call today!