Define Your Online Objectives

by Randall Mains

I marvel at how often clients come to us at Pathmaker Marketing and do not have a firm grasp of exactly what they want us to accomplish for them. This seems to be as true for those companies who are seeking a small business marketing strategy as those charities who are interested in non-profit fund raising.

For whether they are looking for an online marketing tool, church outreach ideas or search engine optimization services, their goals are often murky and poorly defined. An example would be those who put together an internet ad without having defined how to evaluate the results of the advertisement, or measure its success.

First, as you develop your online ad you need to know what, exactly, you are expecting it to accomplish for you.

There are basically a few strategic things that you can hope to receive from your internet marketing endeavor - - a list addition, a lead or a sale. Typically, your product or service will determine which you should expect. For example, if you are selling your services as an Architect for Church Expansion, you will undoubtedly pursue leads, not sales.

On the other hand, if you are selling a $49.95 product titled “6 Steps to 1,000 Perfect Sermons,” the end result is more apt to be a sale than a lead.

Once you fully understand your objective you can better measure the results. Making this determination will allow you to decide whether or not your advertising program was a success.

Second, as you determine your objectives you will find that they may be different depending on whether you are prospecting for new customers or selling to your current ones. Example: is the list email you are using an “internal” or “external” list. For an internal list, one where you are contacting current/past customers, you may decide that for a thousand dollar investment you will want to realize $10,000 worth of sales. It might be more, it might be less - - you should be able to determine this because you will already have a track record with those individuals.

However, with an “external” list, a list of potentially new clients , you may be pleased even if you don’t break even! For the same thousand dollar investment, a return of only $750.00 might be acceptable because you are acquiring new names/clients for future upselling to your internal list. These individuals will have ongoing upsell potential and a “life time value,” which may be very significant.

It is vitally imperative that you define your objectives, for without doing so you cannot determine if your campaign was successful or not! Too, you may want to set up a “scale” of probably/possible success. If your “goal” is to glean $10,000 on a $1,000 investment, and you only glean $8,500, you might decide that the program was, albeit short of your expectations, still a success. As with any goal, not reaching the ultimate goal does not mean you failed.

It is possible that you may need help in defining and refining your objective, and we at Pathmaker would be more than happy to assist you in this. However, before you invest in an internet advertising be sure you know what you expect it to do for you!

Give us a call at 623-323-3334 if you need more help to find ways to win on the web.

Church Outreach Idea: e-Newsletters

Sending out easy to read e-Newsletters is a good outreach for your church http://bit.ly/9EvUUe

Top Ten Church Outreach Ideas for the Internet: eFundraising

Sending monthly email fundraising is our 11th of Ten (BONUS IDEA) Top Ideas for Church Outreach on the Internet.

A friend of mine once received a genuinely well-written email about a Christian orphanage in need of money so that they can send a few kids to school. My friend, so touched by the story, sent some money and was extremely happy to know that she has helped her fellow Christians in need.

There is a multitude of possibilities to reach possible donors, supporters and beneficiaries through the World Wide Web. With the advent of online paying systems, it is very easy to give and receive financial help.

Your church should grab this opportunity because there are many people out there who are willing to support various Christian causes through online giving. As long as you have a strategic e-fundraising campaign, your resources will continuously grow. Thus, it will contribute to the fulfillment your mission to share the church of Christ and enlarge His territory.

Pathmaker Marketing has solid experience in assisting non-profits and churches raise funds via the Internet. One recent email campaign in June 2009 yielded over $30,000 in gifts from 375 donors. a 13-month campaign for another not for profit organizaton raised $192,000 in gifts through the email fundraising channel. We have a proven track record of increasing our clients´ funds multiple times over in proportion to what it costs our clients. For more details on this subject, visit Pathmaker's webpage.

Schedule a meeting with the Pathmaker Marketing Team to discuss and learn more about how you can make your church outreach on the internet grow even larger. This small chat may unearth many ideas that you can use to save more lost souls like mine was.

Church Outreach

What can you do on the Internet to extend and leverage your church outreach efforts to reach both your new members and people looking for a congregation to join?

Here are some strategies from Pathmaker:
1. Sign-up landing page
2. Traffic Conversion
3. eWelcome Series
4. Autoresponder Plan
5. Prayer Walls
6. Blogging Tool

Your church outreach efforts can be extended and leveraged when you employ the strategies listed above. Pathmaker Marketing is experienced in helping ministries implement these tools. Call 623-322-3334 or visit www.PathmakerMarketing.com to schedule a time to discuss how we might help you.