19th Jul 2012, 04:25 AM | #1 |
hala madrid Join Date: 2012 Location: in the 510
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does anyone have experience selling sms to churches? if i plan on cold calling, what would be a good time to call?? |
19th Jul 2012, 08:23 AM | #2 |
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Our product, Church SMS Service (CSMSS) is a device that lets you reach your target group (pastors, bible school students, new converts, congregation, etc) on schedule at a comparatively cheap cost.
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19th Jul 2012, 10:53 AM | #3 |
hala madrid Join Date: 2012 Location: in the 510
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19th Jul 2012, 02:15 PM | #4 |
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i think churches are a hidden goldmine right now. i don't like the concept of cold calling though. anyone can cold call. you need to separate yourself from the rest. the reason why i know churches are a hidden goldmine is that not only are there a lot of them, but the smaller ones sometimes don't even have websites, and if they do, they look like crap. they spend a lot of money to make the church look good to attract people so they are not immune to spending money. they would be great for mobile marketing and then upselling them for web design and seo services. because most of their money comes from donations though and churches are non profit, you can't use traditional ways to selling your services to them because this isn't money earned, this is money given to them to use wisely. you really nee to take more time for the right approach. churches are a great niche and if someone just concentrates on churches, they could potentially make a killing while helping the churches attract more members which will equal more donations |
19th Jul 2012, 03:12 PM | #5 | |
hala madrid Join Date: 2012 Location: in the 510
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i completely agree with what you said i have to sit down and think of ways to stand out. although i wouldnt like to upsell them, i think sms will benefit them enough. i just have to find of a way to stand out in approaching them | |
19th Jul 2012, 03:22 PM | #6 |
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You should be thinking of what will add value to the churches and not just thinking of the money to be made. These are charity organisations that are involved in helping people and their income tends to be from donations. Your thoughts should how you can help the churches. Personally, I think sms will be of benefit but it ought to be provided at good value and not with a view to exploit (or use it as a goldmine) the churches.
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19th Jul 2012, 03:53 PM | #7 |
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nobody should ever exploit a business or people in general. i think that's a given. i think marketers have given upsells a bad name somewhat in the industry. it's the same concept as when a wso offers a oto. when helping people, or businesses, everything needs to be on the table. although i believe churches are a goldmine, it would be our job to make it a gold mine for them as well. so that's what i meant. i totally agree with your philosophy though and i am glad there are still marketers out there that share the same. it's people helping people. not, "we are in it for ourselves to make a buck". so in regards to upselling churces, although sms can be a great way for churches to get their message out at a cheap price, if they have a pooly designed website, they will NEED that professional and spiritual image online as well. like i said before, most of the church websites i have seen are poorly designed and rarely reflects any spirituality. some don't even have one and are just listed in some directories. it would definately be worth it to offer those services if you can also show that it can help them. and heck, since they are all about donations, you can tell them you would be willing to create a mobile site for them for free if they are interested in the sms marketing. giving back feels good and no doubt they would appreciate it and it would only take an hour to create. i would definately upsell them on a website and seo services. people new in town are going to google churches in that local area and it's better for the churces if they can be seen. also, it adds another resource to put people on a mailing list or newsletter. what i have seen is that most churces have a contact us page, but no ways to put people on a list and keep track of their visitors. |
19th Jul 2012, 04:17 PM | #8 | |
hala madrid Join Date: 2012 Location: in the 510
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its a commnunity i personally wouldnt randomly go to a church if i was new in town unless it was a big church but smalller churches everyone know each other and people dont just google which church they will go to next. sms on the other hand lets them stay connected for example they can sens out weekly or biweekly bible messages, or in case of an emergency ask to pray fro skmeone so this way i know the pastor and the church members would love the service.. sorry for the spelling but i am on my smart phone and is not really helping lol | |
19th Jul 2012, 04:49 PM | #9 |
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true. they will grow their congregation larger by word of mouth. that is true, but you can show them how to grow it larger. i have been in this business a while so i can show a company(a church is a company) how it can benefit them. a church does just want to target people who have lived in a community for 10 years where word of mouth actually works. they also want to target new people in the community or visitors. that's where google comes in to play. they need to be in the top 5 for their keywords. but it also depends on the church. obviously you aren't going to be more apt to promote this offer in a small town of 300 where i live. hardly anyone moves here and the town isn't growing. i've only lived here 3 years myself. we have 3 churches but 99% of the people here have lived here their whole lives. but for other towns and cities, it can be VERY appropriate....especially after you get your foot in the door by selling the sms service. but if you are unwilling to upsell, then the only way people are going to get on that list is by directly marketing to the congregation on sundays or whenever they hold service and when it lets out so they can put their name on the list to be updated on the services the church offers. it's a lot easier to build a list other ways. otherwise, what's the point of an sms campaign? you have to help them build a list bud.... |
19th Jul 2012, 05:05 PM | #10 |
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Churches may be a goldmine but as with any "mines" there are hazards and pitfalls that can spell disaster if you're not careful. These are places with congregations that have clearly defined doctrines that are sometimes (only slightly) different from other churches nearby. It is the small differences that are VERY important to them and if you don't do your homework you can easily get yourself in trouble that will take a lot of rebuilding to recover from. Your angle may be to consider what they might be wanting to develop - such as posting sermons online and make that available for them. That way you are keeping clear of any doctrine issues while offering something they will value. |
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19th Jul 2012, 05:13 PM | #11 |
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Websites will definitely be useful for churches that do not have one. However, it depends on their target group. A church that reaches out mainly to the elderly will probably not benefit much from it. However, the churches that are contemporary and dynamic in nature will benefit from having a website. The sort of things you should be thinking of if you want to market to a church is, the demographics, what is their vision, do they want to have their sermons online, etc. In terms of searching for a church online, a lot of people that move into a new city/town tend to do their research (including churches online). This may lead to first time guests attending the church but not necessarily leading to an increased number of people staying in the church. There are many things that should be considered to ensure that the product you are presenting fits the particular church. |
19th Jul 2012, 08:31 PM | #12 |
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I did a tutorial for how to create a simple SMS app in 5 minutes that I think alot of churches would like. Its easy. This could work by simply calling them up and asking if they would like to be able to offer this to their congregation. If they say yes, have them demo it right over the phone. View the video here Simple SMS App for Churches « Twilio University |
20th Jul 2012, 03:10 PM | #13 |
hala madrid Join Date: 2012 Location: in the 510
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that's basicallyhow sms works, you logg in into watever text provider you choose and from there you send out the text to the list you have created. try textmark.com they have a free trail so you can get familiar with how it works. at the end all providers are similar |
20th Jul 2012, 08:04 PM | #14 |
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First off, as said above all churches are a business. You need to treat them as a business. Set them up to have sms help them, in whatever way you decide. Do not get hung up on the fact they are a charity, because they really are not. A non-profit, yes. Charity, no. The youth minister is a great place to start. Talk to him about keeping in touch with the youth. It just flows uphill from there. |
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23rd Jul 2012, 11:12 AM | #15 |
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SMS is a great tool for the churches to be in contact with their members during the week beyond the typical Sunday contact. The right type of text tool can be used not only to enlighten and inspire members but collect extra donations at the same time. By utilizing a donation system that integrates with your texts so that members can make additional donations quickly and easily with a single click of a button allows you to help churches increase their donation levels. When done properly the extra donations will more than cover the monthly cost of your service so everyone wins!
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