CHURCH RESOURCES CAN BE TIGHT
For many Churches, even in a pre-COVID world, money can be tight. Not only does your pastor and staff need salaries, but you also have other operating expenses like rent/mortgage, building maintenance, bibles, learning materials, and resources for specific ministries. On top of that, money also needs to be available for helping those in need in the Church, in the community, and around the world.
The challenge most Churches face due to limited funds is other important tasks like having an effective website or marketing their Church get set on the back burner either to be “done in the future” or forgotten about entirely.
But what if we told you about a way to get FREE money to advertise your Church?
FREE, YES FREE CHURCH ADVERTISING
You’ve probably heard the expression before “nothing is ever free”. And in most cases that’s true. But in the case of non-profits (yes, Church’s as well) looking to advertise their organization on Google, free does mean free.
Several years ago Google introduced what they call the Google Ad Grants Program which is designed to allow nonprofits to advertise on Google at $0 cost. The Ad Grants program gives qualified organizations $10,000 per month in advertising spend to be used to promote its mission and initiatives on Google.
Free Church Advertising – WHO QUALIFIES?
To get this money, however, some eligibility requirements must be met, including the following:
- Your organization must hold valid charity status
- You must acknowledge and agree to Google’s required certifications regarding nondiscrimination and donation receipt and use.
- You must have a high-quality website that meets the Ad Grants website policy.
- You must be approved through the Ad Grants pre-qualification process after your organization is enrolled in Google for Nonprofits.
The following types of organizations are not eligible for Google Ad Grants
- Governmental entities and organizations
- Hospitals and medical groups
- Schools, childcare centers, academic institutions, and universities (philanthropic arms of educational organizations are eligible).
If you want to make sure your Church is eligible for the program you can simply use our Google Grant Eligibility Checker Tool.
WHY ADVERTISE ON GOOGLE?
Now you might be thinking “well free money is nice, but why should I even be worrying about advertising my Church?”.
That’s a fair question.
Why is it worthwhile to advertise on Google?
Here are a couple of reasons.
- Google is where people go to find things
There is a reason people say “just Google it”. Google has become the number one source of information in the world and it’s often the first place people go when they are looking for information, trying to find a business, and also when they’re searching for a Church.
Long gone are the days of searching in the yellow pages. Now, when a person’s looking for a new Church or perhaps looking to try Church for the first time, they go to the internet and search on Google.
This is why it’s more important than ever to make sure your Church is represented on Google so that people can find you.
- Advertising gets you to the top
On a Google search results page, there are two different types of website links: organic and Paid. Organic means Google has decided (based on several factors) that a particular website is relevant to a user’s search query (ie. church in Arizona). Above the organic listings are the Paid listings. These links at the top of the page are only for organizations that are willing to pay to be there.
And while it’s important to rank organically (because you don’t have to pay), sometimes it’s necessary to pay so you are the first thing a user sees when the page loads, which in turn can significantly increase the chances they click on your Church.
So with Google Ad Grants, you get the benefits of paying for a better spot on the page but you also don’t have to spend money out of your Church’s budget. That sounds like a win-win!
DO IT YOURSELF OR GET HELP?
Now the question is, do you feel equipped to do this all yourself?
The free money is nice and all, but do you have people on staff at your church who are able/willing to get set up with Google Ad Grants?
While the application process can be relatively easy, managing the account to meet Google’s strict guidelines can be a bit more challenging.
But we can help with that.
At Missional Marketing, we provide complete Google Ad Grant management services, including preparing/submitting your application to complete campaign maintenance/optimization.
We realize that not every Church has the skills or experience in-house needed for doing this well, and we’d love to help if you don’t.
GET YOUR FREE MONEY
So what are you waiting for? $10,000 a month is worth your time and could significantly impact your Church’s ability to reach more people. Click here to learn more about the Google Ad Grants program or contact us today to get started with our services.
Missional Marketing wants to partner with you to take your church to the next level and help grow your ministry. Head over to our contact us page or give us a call at 480-420-2007 to speak with a member of our team to learn more about our services.