5 Marketing Lessons You Can Learn from Televangelists

As the end of year holidays are beginning to kick off, it is timely to look at how leading religious brands (televangelists and megachurches) drive a thriving business in a market that has been decimated (church attendance has been on the decline for 40+ years). The article below is written with respect for everyone’s faith and beliefs and does not discuss the legitimacy of megachurches. It solely focuses on their well-oiled marketing strategies.

Here are 5 marketing practices Televangelists excel at that can be applied to almost any business.

Establish a brand name, a punchline and a pitch team

Take Joel Osteen’s brand. It is made of a brand name “Joel”, strong punchlines such as “discover the champion in you” and “ask big, receive big”, and his signature smile (he is nicknamed “the smiling preacher”). Then, there is Joel’s pitch team made of his wife Victoria, his kids Alexandra and Jonathan and his mother Dodie, who survived cancer. Joel could not appeal to all demographics on his own, so he relies on his family to reach women, youth, seniors and those suffering from an illness or disability. When putting together a team for an important pitch, select associates from diverse background that will appeal to everyone in the room from your client’s side. Rather than bringing four sales people, bring the account lead, a creative, a statistician and a project manager.

Focus on the experience more so than on the product

All pastors rely on a book that that they did not write. Televangelists differentiate themselves from smaller traditional congregations through the way they deliver the message. Anyone can read the bible at home or hear this same message at one of the 300,000 churches spread across the country, for free. If people are willing to pay and travel to attend a televangelist event, it is not primarily for the message itself, but to hear how the message is delivered. Just like televangelists, politicians and performers, don’t try to re-invent the wheel but instead work on the messaging of your offering and rehearse your pitch tirelessly.

Understand and leverage the strength of different media channels

A sermon broadcasted on TV or via a webcast is an upper-funnel marketing message, aimed at peaking people’s interest. A megachurch’s website is a lower-funnel platform that converts prospects into clients through the sale of event tickets, books and merchandise (a “you can, you will” mug, anyone)? Make it easy for your prospects to shop and pay. The Saddleback church, for example, has developed the Saddleback giving app, “an easier way to give”, available from Android and iphone. Signing up for online giving enables clients to schedule recurring payments, view their giving history and print statements.

Listen to your market

Christianity itself is not declining, it is just that people worship in a different fashion. Weekly worship attendance has declined across the country, but most megachurches have experienced double digit membership growth. Churches that are successful distribute the same content but in different formats. A sanctuary setting is best suited for older age groups. Young professionals are more likely to worship in a small group environment around coffee and sweets. Webcasts will appeal to millennials.

The CEO of former video renter service, Blockbuster, Jim Keyes, once said “Neither RedBox nor Netflix are even on the radar screen in terms of competition”. People still watch a lot of movies. But Blockbuster went bankrupt because Jim Keyes and his team did not pay attention to how consumers wanted to consume the content.

Last but not least, Practice what you preach.

Joel Osteen proclaims, "It's God's will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty”. He certainly practices what he preaches, enjoying life in his $10.5 M, 17,000-square-foot stone mansion. Billy Graham, Rick Warren and Creflo Dollar each have a net worth above $25 M. Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis are unapologetic about flying private jets. Whatever business you’re in, make sure to use your own product and deliver it efficiently. Great marketing ideas, just like prayers, should not get impacted by airport delays.