The business world should take sometime and study the church organization and try to implement its findings into its operation. Every thriving church today thrives not only because of its spiritual principles but also because of its application of business principles in managing the church as an organization. It might interest you to know that the church is 90% administration and 10% spiritual.
The church is the wealthiest organization on earth and its uncontestable. But beyond its spiritual ties and beliefs in the divine, one needs to begin to looking into how they are able to maintain growth over the decades, fund mind blowing projects, with people trooping into the churches on daily basis.
I think the church has the most unique marketing strategy of all times and its best if organizations begin to take a look into it. Having worked with a religious organization for over a decade, I have come to understand the reason why the church attracts so much people to invest willingly into it.
Its not easy to make someone believe in your product talk more of making them donate willingly. As far back as 25yrs ago, most of the marketing strategies of the church were miracles, signs and wonders but today these have been bastardized and brought under criticism. But despite the criticisms that accompanied miracles today yet there are churches who don't do much of that but have large crowd of followers all over the world.
This is because the church markets its product (Jesus) by communicating its benefit every time they have the opportunity. Without compelling you to buy their product, just by simply telling you about its benefit day in and day out will make you one day to try and check this product out. It is the principle of HEARING and HEARING AGAIN.
When you hear people say the church is syphoning people's money, it's just fabricated because they don't really understand how the church can convince people to give willingly. If syphoning people is easy like they say, then why do people pay to learn about Fundraising?
Organization should begin to look into this principle as many have already started applying it to achieve its goals. Organizations should begin to focus its marketing strategies to preach only the benefits of what they are offering again and again and again which is an indirect way of compelling people to buy.
Remember the bible says faith comes by Hearing and Hearing, in other words to make people believe in what you are offering, they have to Hear and Hear you again and again even with proofs. When they come and discover it is true, that they are getting value for what they paid for, they will become your marketing channel and will build trust in your organization. This is how the Catholics are able to control over 1billion of it's members worldwide and some other Pentecostal churches like RCCG and LFC.
The principle of Hearing and Hearing again is psychological and has a way of working on the cognitive mind of the hearers. People naturally gravitate towards a product they have heard over and over again when there's need for such products. Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola makes use of this principle and that accounts for their dominance over other beverages.
MTN grew to become the largest telecommunication company in Africa since they entered Nigeria in 2001 by this principle. Coming into the Nigerian market already dominated by ECONET, MTN was only wise to begin to preach their gospel were ECONET couldn't reach. Many communities and villages heard of MTN before it arrived their locations. They preached the "Yello" message until it became part and passel of Nigerians.
Now with competitors coming into the communication industry Nigeria, MTN has been able to stake its foothold over the decades in the hearts of Nigerians, and even with much frequent network issues yet Nigerians have come to trust them and that is an edge they have in the Nigerian market.
© Obeta Ikechukwu
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