Stop Wasting Your Church’s Money | Jason and Bart

Podcast Notes

Stop Wasting Your Church’s Money: A Strategic Approach to Church Advertising Budgets

Episode Description

Join Bart Blair and Jason Hamrock as they dive deep into church marketing budget planning for 2026.In this comprehensive episode, discover the essential strategies every church communicationsdirector needs to know when planning their annual marketing and communications budget. From thecritical 3-5% spending rule to evaluating past campaign effectiveness, this episode providesactionable insights for maximizing your church’s outreach dollars.

Key Topics Covered

Budget Planning Fundamentals

• How to determine your available marketing budget
• Understanding the difference between regular budget and special project funding
• The importance of spending your full allocated budget
• Strategic budget allocation between internal and external marketing

The 3-5% Marketing Rule

• Why churches should spend 3-5% of their total budget on external marketing
• Comparing church marketing to small business marketing strategies
• Understanding the unique advantages churches have: congregation word-of-mouth and the HolySpirit

Measuring Marketing Effectiveness

• Evaluating past year’s marketing campaigns and ROI
• The importance of quantifiable results in digital marketing
• Why you shouldn’t spend money on campaigns you can’t measure
• Tools and strategies for tracking marketing success

Digital vs. Traditional Marketing

• Advantages of digital marketing for measurement and tracking
• How to make traditional marketing (mailers, billboards) more trackable
• Using QR codes and unique URLs for better campaign attribution
• The power of evergreen digital advertising campaigns

Landing Page Optimization

• Why landing pages are more important than ad quality
• Common mistakes churches make with landing pages
• Creating compelling landing pages that convert visitors
• A/B testing strategies for church marketing

Timestamps

• 00:37 – Introduction and podcast updates
• 04:11 – Church Communications Conference announcement
• 11:00 – Church budget planning fundamentals
• 13:28 – Evaluating past marketing effectiveness
• 22:23 – The 3-5% marketing budget rule
• 25:26 – Digital marketing measurement strategies
• 28:28 – Landing page optimization tips
• 31:31 – Touch points and long-term marketing strategy
• 34:25 – Budget hacks and creative funding strategies

Key Takeaways

1. Evaluate Before You Plan: Review the past 12-24 months of marketing efforts before planningyour next budget
2. Measure Everything: If you can’t measure a marketing campaign’s effectiveness, reconsiderspending money on it
3. Follow the 3-5% Rule: Churches should allocate 3-5% of their total budget to external marketing
4. Prioritize External Over Internal: Spend more on reaching new people than communicating withexisting members
5. Landing Pages Matter Most: The quality of your landing page determines campaign successmore than ad creative
6. Think Long-Term: Marketing effectiveness requires 12+ touchpoints in the church context
7. Use Creative Funding: Pull marketing dollars from event budgets (Christmas, Easter, VBS) tosupplement campaigns

Resources Mentioned

Upcoming Events

• Church Communications Conference: September 17-19, 2025, Chicago
• Church Comms Roadshow Cities: San Antonio, Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Dayton, Oklahoma City, ColoradoSprings
• 2026 Roadshows: 16 cities planned

Tools and Platforms

• Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads
• Google Ads
• Trackable QR codes
• Hidden landing pages for A/B testing
• Missional Marketing dashboards and reporting tools

Communities

• Church Communications Facebook Group
• Church Communications website: churchcommunications.com

Expert Insights

Jason Hamrock shares his experience as a former church communications director, revealing budgetmanagement strategies and the critical mistake of underspending your allocated budget.

Bart Blair provides pastoral perspective on marketing budgets in church plants and establishedchurches, emphasizing the importance of measuring ROI and strategic spending.

Upcoming Episode Preview

Don’t miss the upcoming interview with Jason Collier, Senior Developer at Missional Marketing,discussing how AI is changing the SEO landscape for churches. This episode will be essential foranyone managing church websites and digital presence.

Free Consultation Offer

Missional Marketing is offering free 30-minute budget planning consultations for churches preparingtheir 2026 marketing budgets. Visit missionalmarketing.com to schedule your session with Jason, Bart,or their team.

Tags

Church Marketing, Church Communications, Digital Marketing, Church Budget, SEO for Churches,Church Growth, Marketing ROI, Church Advertising, Communications Strategy, Church Leadership

This episode of the Missional Marketing Podcast provides essential guidance for church leaders,communications directors, and pastors looking to maximize their marketing effectiveness and reachmore people for Jesus through strategic budget planning.