The 3 Branding Questions Your Church Needs To Answer with Dawn Nicole Baldwin

What's in this session?

• What is a brand? (And what its not) (11:24)
• Why infrared microwaves are more appealing then church (14:12)
• How do we build our church’s brand? (16:57)
• The 3 questions your church needs to ask to establish your brand (20:12)
• What makes Starbucks a great brand example (22:55)
• Is branding appropriate for smaller churches? (23:43)
• How long does it take to change your church’s brand for good? (26:46)
• How do various ministries relate to the primary church brand? (32:36)
• The 3 biggest church brand mistakes that churches make again and again (36:43)

Show notes and resources

• Foundations Conference
• AspireOne
• Dawn Nicole on Twitter
• DawnNicoleBaldwin.com
• Unique by Phil Cooke
• Less Clutter, Less Noise by Kem Meyer
• Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin

3 Instant Takeaways

1. Intentionality is the driving force behind your branding. You already use a certain amount of intentionality in planning your services, so carry that over to your brand. Start with knowing what you want to be known for. Then build your brand around that. Move forward being absolutely sure that the life and culture of your church intentionally models your chosen brand.
2. Branding is for small churches too. Smaller budgets mean it is even more important that intentionality is behind your brand because you have more control over its message in a smaller arena. From parking-lot greeter right through to children’s ministry, the brand should be consistently applied. Is your brand “family-oriented church”? Or is it “we welcome diversity?” Whatever the brand, every member of your church can buy in and model a whole brand experience for newcomers.
3. Don’t let your various ministries logo-compete with each other; it will fragment your brand. ‘Logoitis’ is a term Dawn Nicole calls it when every ministry, from children to seniors to bikers, uses its own distinct logo. She suggests the fix for this is allowing different logos only when the ministry holds events away from the church weekend. Otherwise you risk splintering your brand and causing confusion. Communicate with each other so everyone knows how to come under one brand.