What even is a brand?

Alyssa Stadtlander • Aug 26, 2022

When you hear the word brand, what pops into your head?

Is it that favorite pair of American Eagle jeans you splurged on, or a favorite snack from Trader Joe's? Do you think of other similar-quality-but-somehow-not-as-great products that you'd refer to as off-brand, such as Kirkland or Great Value?

In our hyper-consumer cultural moment, brand is a hot topic buzz word, almost to the extent that it's lost its meaning entirely, associated with anything from TikTok famous teenagers to makeup lines, from types of cereal to athletic wear.

However, the blurred lines and bad taste around the word doesn't mean your church doesn't need one. Before you panic or close out this article, let us walk you through the basics. Maybe you'll find out making one is not as scary as you thought.

What exactly is a brand?

Simply put, your brand is the way your organization is perceived by your community, the voice of your organization when you're not speaking, and the feelings your brand assets (the different parts of your brand) evoke.

Think of brands you particularly enjoy. What makes you return to them time and again? You don't return to them necessarily because you love the product or because they've done a great job marketing (even though they probably do.) You return to them because of the way they make you feel, and that's the brand:

a cohesive set of specifically designed assets that elicit a particular feeling in the group of people you hope to serve, and defines who you are rather than simply what you do with the purpose of connection between the organization and their target audience.

I'm a big fan of the grocery store Trader Joe's (and a former crew member), so we'll use them as an example.

Trader Joe's does next to no advertising. They don't offer promotions, memberships, or discounts. Most of their products are, in fact, the same products you'd buy in a different grocery store, but with their specific label. Sure, their products are cheaper than high end grocery stores, but they're very rarely the cheapest option.

The thing that makes people across America fiercely loyal to Trader Joe's is their powerful brand that says "You don't need to worry about anything. We take care of you, because here, grocery shopping is fun." From their handmade signs and decor, to their colorful packaging, to their friendly employees, to their bright red logo and the beachy, local-market-by-the-sea vibe infused into every location in the country, Trader Joe's brand is laid back and happy, and makes their customers feel excited to do something as mundane as grocery shop. Therefore, their customers will talk them up in the marketplace, and often refuse to shop anywhere else.

So, brand isn't just our name?

Nope. A brand is not your name, your logo, your colors, your font, your messaging, your programming, or your description on your website. Those are your brand assets. Rather, it's the feeling that all these things evoke when combined with you into one cohesive unit.

Alright, so why does our church need a brand,

especially when the words marketing + church tend to feel icky together?

Remember, a brand is not a description of your services with the intent of making a sale. It's the way you present yourself to the community you seek to serve, and the way that your community perceives you, in order to cultivate relationships.

No matter the way your church words their mission statement, I'm going to guess that it boils down to becoming more like Jesus and sharing the good news of the kingdom with your neighborhood. In order to do this, as much as you might hate to admit it, you need people to know about you, and, more than that, how you are uniquely positioned to guide them into the answers their hearts are seeking, how you'll treat them, and why they need this good news.

Your church needs a brand because your community needs the good news of the kingdom.

However, especially in our digital age, they can't know about it (or how your heart for them) if you spend no time reflecting on who you are and how you're perceived, or crafting an environment that whispers of hospitality, graciousness, or love. If your brand is hidden away, cluttered, unfocused, inauthentic, inconsistent, or nonexistent, it's time to change that.

So where do you begin?

At SolidCreative.Media, we like to encourage churches to pause and set up camp. Take an honest look around at where you started, and where you are now. Change the questions you're asking, focusing them on the people you seek to serve (what do they want more than anything?) rather than yourself (how can we make ourselves look more appealing?) Who are you, and what feelings do you want to evoke in people when they come through your door?

Only from that posture should you take a look at your website, name, logo, design, communication, messaging, and social media engagement.

If this feels completely overwhelming, this is where SolidCreative.Media comes in.

We believe what you're doing matters. The world needs to hear about it.

Our small but mighty team at SolidCreative.Media wants to help your church bravely step into the wilderness of branding and come out of the other side confident, beautiful and empowered to do the work God has called you to do.

That's why we've created a program called BrandCamp.

BrandCamp is an intensive that takes just 1-2 days. You'll walk away with not only a new website, but a clarified message and brand, a new strategy for engaging with your specific community, and an entire brand identity package (including new logos and language). We'll start with an in-depth conversation about who you are and your unique passion for your community, and from there, provide you with a world-changing, cohesive brand in a matter of days.

We know this process can be vulnerable, painful, and honestly, terrifying, and we recognize what a leap of faith it is to consider rebranding your church (or branding for the first time!), so if this sounds like something that would help your church move forward into the next season of growth, we'll start slow.

The process begins with scheduling a free 15-minute fit call to see if we'd be a good fit to guide you into your next season, and to receive clarity and encouragement for how to move forward.

Remember, your brand is simply the way your organization is perceived.

Jesus is in you. Let's help your neighborhood discover that.

P.S. Want to try updating your website on your own? No problem. We've created a free guide to 10 Things Your Church Website Needs in 2022, so you can work through it at your own pace.

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You're Not the Hero

By Alyssa Stadtlander • 22 May, 2023

We're always telling a story. Whether you're talking to your mom on the phone, or going for a run, or planning a business proposal, you're in the middle of the story of your life. We all know this–we imagine ourselves as the hero of our own story, because, of course, we are. It's our story, after all; we only see things from our perspective, permanently stuck in our own first person narrative with the people around us as side characters, which is why we as humans struggle with practices like empathy, listening, and noticing other people. We are naturally the hero of our own story.

5 Resons Why You Should Probably Just Hire That Marketing Agency

By Alyssa Stadtlander • 03 May, 2023

Are you a small business owner or nonprofit founder who is trying to get your new endeavor off the ground? Or are you an established business who feels like your sales have plateaued? Are you discouraged that you're just not getting the leads like you used to? Or maybe you're trying to move to the next level of business, but are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of tasks that are starting to pile up as you progress. It's hard to know when (or if!) you should even hire a marketing agency. Wouldn't it just be easier to do it all yourself? And doesn't it cost so much money? Maybe. And listen, we get it. Starting a business is hard, and maintaining a business is even harder. But maybe you need a break from this endless slough of emails and social media and promotion and website maintenance, so you can get back to the work you actually love doing. We'd even venture to say you probably don't have those niche marketing skills and technical know-how you need to make your business or organization as successful as you hope, and why should you? That's not your job–that's ours. And in the long run, maybe your business would thrive by spending just a little extra money up front. Let us show you what we mean. Here are the 5 top reasons we think hiring a marketing company is a solution to the problems you might be facing in your own business. 1. You can get back to focusing on doing your job, not ours. If you're a small business owner, real estate professional, non-profit manager, or even a church pastor, there are a lot of internal pressures demanding your time. You have a ton of responsibilities on your plate–responsibilities that you are designed and cut out for. You have a team of people around you who you hired to do those special skills you hired them for. You're not a marketing specialist, and neither are they. Instead of asking your team to help out in ways they weren't hired for, or burning yourself out because you're overworked and overloaded, hiring a marketing company will free up valuable margin in your life. Not only will it improve the mental health and energy of your team, you'll have access to people with a variety of skills, who are experts in their fields and approach marketing with a strategic confidence rather than frantic, sporadic instagram posts and an outdated website. 2. You s tay Up-to-Date. (speaking of outdated websites...) Did you know that your website needs to be updated at least every 3-5 years? In this culture of technology, the landscape is constantly changing. To maintain an effective digital presence (absolutely vital in this day and age), you need a website that changes with the innovations, is mobile-friendly, and is aesthetically pleasing. Hiring a marketing agency will ensure that your content and website is both beautiful and cutting edge, as they are experts and artists with their fingers on the pulse of the latest trends. Take that off your plate, while entering the economy with the freshest content and form! 3. You actually save money. It might feel like doling out money for marketing is something you can't afford at this juncture. But we'd argue you can't afford to not hire a marketing agency. The reason for this is two-fold. First, if you decide to hire an in-house marketing person, you'll quickly find out: you need more than one person. It's a huge responsibility, and requires a variety of skill sets, so much so that you'd need to hire an entire marketing team (2-3 people at least). This would result in added internal costs, such as salaries, incentives, marketing campaigns, onboarding, training, recruiting costs, sick days, payroll taxes, health insurance… you catch our drift. Second, bluntly-speaking, you can't make it in the market if you don't, well, market. You won't make money or, in the case of non-profits, make the difference you're hoping to make in your city. However, when you outsource to a marketing agency, you don't have to worry about any of that. You pay one price and receive everything you need. You'll have access to reliable and result-driven agencies and experts who know what they're doing, and instead of using the money for internal costs, agencies will put any returns back into your business or organization, resulting in a sky-high ROI. So… 4. You get access to resources and tools. Instead of making do with cheap CRM software, terrible SEO, and putting up with (or losing your temper at) Meta Business Suite, hiring an agency gives you access to top-notch software, resources, website hosting, design, SMS and email marketing, social media marketing and scheduling, and tools that you wouldn't be able to access otherwise. Plus, you'll say goodbye to those frustrated nights yelling at that expensive software you can't figure out how to use. You'll have a team of people who actually know how to utilize the resources as they're designed to function, so you don't need to worry about it! 5. You get an unbiased perspective and consulting. Working on a business, nonprofit, church, or other organization can feel like working in a vacuum. There's a few things you know how to do, and you do them over and over, hoping they remain effective. Chances are, though, that they won't. When you hire an agency, the team can give you honest feedback that isn't influenced by your personal experience or emotion, and help you to get you back on track. They can offer new ideas and perspectives, and also make recommendations based on their observations. The Moral of the Story Quit doing our job. Do your job. You can't do the work you care about doing in the world the best way you want to do it if you're spending all your time doing things you're not cut out for. But we have some good news: we happen to know a few people who are cut out for it. At SCDM, we're prepared to help you through your marketing journey, no matter the stage of business or hesitations about marketing or branding. We're a full service creative agency built to systematically help you name your mission, clarify your brand, and change your world with your own authentic message. Don't know where to start? Have qualms about what hiring us could look like? We'd love to chat. Schedule a 15 minute fit call today, and see how we can guide you through this next phase of your entrepreneurial journey!