When it comes to attracting the ideal audience for your church you should be able create a picture in your mind as you describe them. Using images of a real life people can prove an effective way to help everyone in your church narrowly focus on and communicate in ways that more directly appeal to your specific ideal audience.

A detailed profile, one that includes photos and stories of real members of your church, should be part of your marketing action plan documents. You may never share this type of document publicly, but it can be one of the most important internal training documents you ever create.

In order to create your profile you need to understand as much about your ideal audience as possible. Remember the key phrase here is ideal. Look long and hard at the characteristics of your most reliable and outreach-minded members, they may be the key to finding out who you are best suited to reach in your community.

Once you dig deep and profile the common characteristics you should also start asking yourself some questions about these people.

Here 8 questions you need to answer to find your ideal audience:

• What brings them joy?
• What are they worried about?
• What challenges do they face?
• What do they hope to gain from us?
• What goals are they striving to attain?
• What experience thrills them?
• Where do they get their information?
• Who do they trust most?

The answers to the types of questions above are not always available, but pondering them in relationship to your ideal audience may allow you to more fully address their wants and needs in every interaction and communication.

Complete the profile, add a real photo, and hang it up in your office for all to see. Simply hanging photos of your ideal audience around the office, may be the reminder that needs to connect with what your church is really about, what their roles really are, and who you are best equipped to reach for eternity.

Neil Richmund

Neil Richmund is a marketer who has a passion for helping churches impact the world – starting with the community that surrounds them.