Easter Marketing Tips for Churches and Church Groups

Church marketing during Easter is difficult for many traditional church groups. Being the most popular and reverent time in the calendar, it’s often difficult to balance the significance of this somber occasion with any sense of celebration or happiness. However, for a modern church, Easter should not be such an earnest occasion and churches shouldn’t hesitate to create events that celebrate our families, communities, and our love of God and each other.

With church attendance increasing during Easter and dropping significantly the following month (current stats suggest a 40% attendance drop after Easter Sunday) creating marketing campaigns for your church are vital for the continued growth of your parish.

Start your Easter marketing efforts early and use these three tips to get members in the door and keep them coming back:

1. Organize community focused events for families and new attendees

Organize an Easter festival to celebrate your church and your community. It’s so important for modern churches to connect with people in modern ways. Make it unmissable by paying close attention to the needs of people in attendance.

Organize a Festival

Organize an Easter festival. Make it a really attractive occasion by printing tickets and flyers to spread the word. Distribute the tickets and flyers to church members and to local businesses to create a healthy buzz about your event. Use cheery and attractive Easter imagery on your prints. Put a large banner near your church to let the whole community know about this special event.

Fun activities for the kids

When the kids are having fun, parents are given a reason to come back. Great ideas for family activities include:

• Easter egg hunts
• Face painting
• Balloon animals
• Games and Prizes
• Bouncy castle

Bring people together with the power of BBQ!

Organize a BBQ or potluck event to join people together in fun and discussion. One of the most important aspects of a church community is to promote new relationships. A special event that brings together like-minded Christians in friendship and love is important for any church organization and encourages new members to return.

Provide live music during your event

Create a dance floor space and invite the musicians in your community to play both Christian and contemporary music. Music always makes people want to stick around.

Take photos and send them as a second point of connection

Find a volunteer and take photos of attendees. Create an Easter themed backdrop so that these photos look really professional – something people will want to keep and remember. Print and send attendees these photos as a way to start building fond memories of your church.

2. Bulletins, invitations, and engaging marketing

Welcome Bulletins

Most Churches rely on bulletins to include the parish news, service schedule, and other community information. During the Easter period, use yours as a welcome guide for new attendees.

Mailers

Another good idea is to send outreach postcards or bulletins before holy week. A friendly mailer that presents information about your church is a great way to connect with new parishioners. Ensure that you include all web and social networking links. And if you don’t have the budget for a mailing campaign, going door-to-door in your neighborhood with Christian door hangers with all your church info on is another practical marketing solution.

Website promotion

If you have a church website (you should have one) use it to interact with web visitors and include testimonial videos about how your members have enjoyed your church events, their personal stories, struggles, and how God and the church have changed their lives for the better. Add photo galleries of your past events, outreach services, and community efforts.

3. Welcome cards and pre/post service marketing

Make members feel part of the service and part of your growing community before and after the service. Create Easter invitations (welcome cards) so that new attendees can share their contact info.

Pre –service

• If your church provides child care and Sunday school services, let people know in your postcards, bulletins, website, etc, that these are provided
• Meet and greet new attendees and ask other parishioners to greet and welcome new attendees
• Hand out welcome cards before the service – gather info for follow-up marketing
• Distribute bulletins about upcoming events and services

Post- service:

Some great ideas for follow-up marketing prints based on your welcome card info:

• Send brochures out to new attendees with your church’s mission statement
• Mail new attendees a card thanking them for visiting your church
• Send members a list of upcoming events, religious trips, sermons, and community and support programs.