“The best marketers… don’t assault, they don’t demand; instead, they earn attention.” Seth Godin, Small Is the New Big, pg 151.
I’m not a marketer. I work in kids ministry.
That’s a simple cop-out. Actually, I am a marketer. Not by profession but certainly by trade. I market Jesus to kids. I market discipleship to parents. I market the concept that kids are designed to be world-changers and have a greater understanding of selflessness than most adults.
So how can I avoid assaulting parents with these concepts? But rather earn their attention? How do I turn it around to where parents are watching to see what LifeKIDS is going to do, what LifeKIDS is going to say, where LifeKIDS is headed next? Rather than chasing them down, begging them to read the website?
What is LifeKIDS doing to earn their attention? The current buzzword is Remarkable. So what is LifeKIDS doing that is Remarkable? As much as I hate to admit… Our kids space is no longer the Purple Cow. Not to everyone. To the one walking in the door for the first time… taking in the space… one thought spinning in their mind… “This is church?”. Yeah… it’s still the Purple Cow. But for our long time attenders… it’s old hat. They’ve seen it a thousand times. It’s still neat. But it’s no longer Remarkable.
I can’t get past the idea that the Remarkable is found in the people. In the Guest Services team that gets down on their knee to be eye level with the kids. It’s the Cast Member that greets that kid at the door by name. It’s the cards that are mailed out to the kids… just because. The relationships must be Remarkable.
I see pockets of it. Glimpses of the Remarkable. But it must be wide-spread. It must be the norm… not the anomoly.
For kicks, let’s pretend these Remarkable interactions are the norm. Does that earn attention? Will it cause parents to pay attention to LifeKIDS? Will it cause them to dig deeper into resources that just might transform their family?
Hmmmm…
March 24th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Great post…REMARKABLE…You are so right…remarkable starts not in the facility but in the people…it is everyone making it what it should be.
March 25th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Great questions – if Remarkable becomes the Norm, then what replaces Remarkable? Does having a core value of Excellence mean that what we do is then Remarkable?
I suspect that if everything is excellent, then that alone is the only thing that is remarkable…let me explain. To be remarkable means to be something that most everyone that experiences also talks about…remarks about. Once you master excellence, and there are no longer “remarks” then it’s time to change up expectations. Our construction was completed in November, and yes, our space is remarkable, our volunteers are remarkable, but as each weekend passes, there are fewer and fewer that are “remarking” because it has become the norm.
We say we will do anything short of sin to lead people to become fully-devoted followers of Christ. What are we doing that’s new, innovative and…well…remarkable in kids’ ministry?
I hear ya Gina and am right on board your train of thought. Let’s mix it up. See what we can do that get people “remarking” again.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I agree that it’s all about relationships. Buildings and petting zoos are remarkable for a time–temporary, but it’s that relationship with other kids or, more importantly, an adult that kids experience that will keep them talking. It’s what I always think of first when I’m talking with another parent about what I like about LifeKIDS. (not because I work there, but because I’m the mom of a LifeKID.
This is not something that can be “Centrally driven” or that we can create a program to make happen.
Is it enough just to lead our volunteers by example? Is it enough to talk to them about the importance of connecting with kids?
May 6th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
This made me stop and think — (1) what are people remarking about? (2) What is the “remarkable” in greater society? How can this be applied in ministry? I struggle with this being in a smaller minstry setting – I strive for excellence, yet all the resources are not there to achieve optimially what I desire and vision at this moment. You brought my mind back around to remembering that customer service speaks VOLUMES to people – and even in society can be the difference between great and remarkable.