For my STCO 356 class, we have been tasked to develop a marketing plan and campaign presentation for a smaller business or non-profit. I have chosen my college church, Hope Co. I absolutely love being apart of this multi-generational body, pastored by PJ Preston. They are founded on ‘rhythms of life’ including: “authentic worship, transparent relationships, selfless service, cheerful giving, prayer & fasting, silence & solitude, and the sabbath.” Every Sunday they provide two services and have many events throughout the week. They thrive in worship nights, community groups, and major college focus areas. If you asked any Liberty University student if they have at least attended, the answer would surely be yes. The issue today is establishing this already growing college demographic, into an engaged body, fully committed to Hope Co.
Objective
Specifically, this marketing plan is being created to secure the goal of increasing devoted college students to the Hope Company. It is incredibly important to foster this generation of believers because in one’s early 20’s, they are making decisions that will change the trajectory of their lives. There are so many ways that this goal can be achieved, but particularly for Hope Co, the measurable tactics are as follows:
- 10% increase in event attendance for students
- 20% increase in following and liking content on Instagram
- 15% increase in college church membership
Research
As stated before, many Liberty University Students* either know about or have personally attended Hope Co. In the interviewing process, questions asked were:
- Do you attend the Hope Company? How often?
- Are you on a ministry/serve team or apart of a community group?
- Do you follow the Hope Company Instagram?
- What are your thoughts about church life there for a college student?
One quote from a Liberty undergrad, (that faithfully attends Hope Co services and Monday night community groups), said, “We always start so strong early in the semester for Mondays, and as the fall goes by, attendance gets lower and lower.” A student athlete was interviewed, and their answers as follows: ‘Yes, I attend every Sunday I’m not a part of serve teams or in a group. I follow the social media… I love going to Hope Co. I love the worship and that so many of my peers are there. I’m not super connected, but that’s enough for me.’
The full collection of statements had a pattern of staying close to the thoughts above. In both of Hope Co’s services, college students overwhelmingly lead the body in attendance. But from these witnesses it seems that Sunday attendance is the primary focus, and that is the problem looking to be solved in this marketing plan.
Strategy
A calendar PDF is embedded under the strategy portion, to give a visual example of all of the strategies combined.
Here is one of the calendars developed for the marketing plan. If you want to see the rest of the plan:
To see the full research paper ^^
