Getting Results from Ads Takes Time and Patience

Of the many ways to attract prospective members to your congregation, one of the most important—and misunderstood—is advertising. It can also be one of the most expensive.

Getting results with advertising takes time. "When you advertise it doesn't mean there's going to be a direct impact," said Debbie Weiner, UUA director of public relations, marketing and information. "A very small percentage of visitors come because of an actual advertisement."

To a congregation spending thousands on an ad campaign, that may be discouraging, but Weiner urges patience. The value of advertising for UU congregations, she says, is that it increases "brand name recognition" and also instills pride in members. "When ads are running, your own members see them, as well as the town legislators and the shopkeepers. People start to recognize the name and location of your congregation." Weiner recommends that a print ad run at least five successive times on at least a weekly basis.

The UUA bookstore has two sets of print ads. The first combines ads from the Religion That Puts Its Faith in You series, featuring photos of real UUs next to their stories about UUism, with the People Like You series, developed by the UU Church, Kent, Ohio (144). The second set, Welcoming Congregation, is focused to attract gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to your congregation. Some congregations may still have an older, out-of-print ad series featuring famous UUs, but it is considered outdated and also contains some inaccuracies.

Congregations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area developed their own ads and spent $9,000 in 1995 running them for eight weeks in the fall in major papers. "Our members loved it, but we were never able to tell if we had much impact," said Merrily Helgeson, former ad project co-chair. The next fall, to hold down costs, ads ran only in a womens' weekly and the monthly public TV guide for $5,500.

The caption on one ad, above a photo of a quilting project is: Imagine a Religion Where Different Beliefs Are What Bring People Together.

Because of cost, the Twin Cities group now runs print ads only on special occasions, like the annual gay pride magazine ($900) this year. It is focusing on creating Internet web pages. Weiner endorses that approach. "We keep hearing from congregations who have gotten new members from the Internet. For a congregation with no money, a website is the way to go."

Clay Atkinson, a business/marketing consultant and former co-chair of the Twin Cities campaign, believes non-UUs can more easily grasp our faith if ads compare it to something. His Lake Fellowship Unitarian Universalists, Excelsior, MN (37), developed ads with the headline: "An Alternative to Worship—Fellowship."

The Abraham Lincoln UU Congregation, Springfield, IL (164), runs small ads in entertainment and religion sections with a UU saying like, "For those who have always questioned the religion handed them." "We have no idea if they work," says President John Miller. "The old ad saying is we know we're wasting half of our ad budget, we just don't know which half."

If your congregation has a print ad campaign that works, InterConnections would like to hear about it. In the next issue we will address other marketing tools, including direct mail, radio and TV. Send us your experiences with those, as well.

Sources

The UUA bookstore has two ad packets available: UUA Print Ad Packet (Religion That Puts its Faith in You picture ads and People Like You series) #7708 $20; Welcoming Congregation ad packet #7712 $5.

The Twin Cities ads may be viewed on the Internet by clicking here. You may also contact Merrily Helgeson, 3322 Frear Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55305. Phone: 612 936-7693.