Audience Breakdown
First - do a quick Google search for “User Personas.” Specifically - look at the images
It's a simple argument to say that "our church wants to reach EVERYONE" because Jesus came to save everyone. Yes, the doctrine is clear, Jesus’ work ensured salvation for all of mankind. I'm not here to debate that.
Consider for a moment that during his ministry on Earth, Jesus did not communicate that message to everyone. He trained a select few, spoke to some groups, but generally stayed within the realm of the Jews. He didn't try to reach everyone in the whole world. He knew that he needed to focus on his core target market. We (21st century Christians) owe a great debt to the first round of believers for writing down Jesus' teachings and making sure we have access to them today. It's almost like God had a plan.
You church would benefit greatly from distilling your target demographic down to 2-3 core groups. And be very specific when you do this exercise. If you wish to connect with young adults, build a persona to describe them - in detail. At first, this may feel weird, but it's essential to really wrapping your head around a target market.
These personas will help you write social media posts, blogs, and other parts of your communication plans. To be clear, I'm using one right now. I have have persona for pastors working in large urban settings.
• Most of them are younger (28-39), well trained, but lacking education in marketing concepts.
• They are fast learners and almost constantly listening to a podcast, reading a book, or doing some activity to improve themselves.
• If they have kids, they are likely under the age of 5.
• These pastors enjoy the challenging environment of a fresh city and small congregation.
• They wouldn't do as well in a large, well established place.
• They are motivated by an internal drive to proclaim the Gospel which can be hard for them to articulate.
These types of notes inform the topics I write about and the language I use. Notice, I'm keeping it rather casual, and trying to pack a lot of info into this post - to demonstrate value.
Know your audience.
