What am I supposed to do?

As some of you may know, along with being a worship leader, I am a web designer. I am on salary with an advertising agency in the Kansas City metro where I desing web sites, consult on user-experience and search engine optimization, create graphics and get to use some of my Marketing degree from Southwest Baptist University.

(editor’s note: I also freelance this work … hint, hint)

anyway, one of the things that I am always asking – not only on the business end, but something the church end should be asking as well – is:
What is the purpose of ________?
What do you want to accomplish?
How will you measure success?
What do you want the user (audience) to do?
Is there a clear call-to-action?
Will the people you are trying to reach understand what they are supposed to do?

well, ChurchRelavance.com has posted an article from another “marketing guru” that’s definitely worth the read.

Lois Boyle wrote a September ‘05 article for Target Marketing Magazine regarding questions to ask when critiquing your mailer. So the next time you church plans a postcard, ask yourself these 15 questions before applying the postage:

1. Is your offer simply stated and easy to understand?
2. Is it clear what you are asking the reader to do?
3. Is your headline incredibly compelling?
4. Is your copy short and easy to process?
5. Does your copy specifically tell the reader what he or she is going to get by responding?
6. Have you repeated your offer more than once?
7. Are you speaking appropriately to your audience?
8. Have you included a strong, visible, call-to-action?
9. Does your imagery reflect the end benefit?
10. Does the overall look closely reflect your brand?
11. Have you included key components on the address side of your postcard?
    The back side of a postcard typically is read before the front simply because people tend to read who it is mailed to first.
12. Is there an opportunity to use bright colors?
    The eye naturally gravitates toward warm colors more than dark or dingy colors.
13. Is your type easy to read, using only one or two fonts?
14. Have you considered the value of mailing “large”?
    While postcard size will affect cost, consider the trade-off of increased response because your postcard stands out in the mail.
15. Are you consistently testing to find your most effective and efficient postcard possible?

These questions aren’t just for postcard campaigns, but should be asked about any type of promotion or theme or campaign or outreach, etc … otherwise, how do you measure success?