Creating a Buzz

Kem Meyer, is the Communications Director at Granger Community Church and author of "Less Clutter Less Noise; Beyond Bulletins, Brochures, and Bake Sales." My blog and many others will be part of a one day blog tour where she answers questions about communications and advertising in the church.  Here's my question and her answer. Thanks Kem!

Oh Yeah ... I will be giving a free copy of Kem's book to one lucky blog reader. So make sure to post a comment so I can get in touch with you if I draw your name.

MARK: When it comes to building the buzz about a sermon series or event, how do you determine the amount of energy, communication pieces, and time it will take for the largest buzz to grow?

KEM:  Short answer. You can’t orchestrate buzz or predict the lifecycle. Buzz is the excitement, energy, anticipation and conversation around a product or service. It’s the best type of marketing—when “people are buzzing.” There are as many variables at play to what gets people buzzing as there are drops in the ocean. In its purest form, if you talk about something of interest and give people a great experience, they’ll tell their friends. That’s buzz. What are you doing that people will want to tell their friends about?

Everybody talks about how to create buzz. But, nobody talks about what to do when you actually get it. That’s the longer answer.

A few years ago, our church ran a five-week message series where you could find straight talk and answers about sex. It was not what people were expecting from a church. And, that was precisely the point. To help promote the series, we used billboard advertising around town that featured one photo (bare feet entwined under bed covers) and one line of text—mylamesexlife.com. Curious onlookers who visited mylamesexlife.com saw a brief movie asking questions that commonly surround the topic of sex. At the end of the movie, viewers were redirected to GCCwired.com to learn more about the upcoming weekend series called PureSex.

It sparked controversy and conversations around our community and got national attention. The response—positive and negative—was overwhelming. It created a stir. But, I’m not going to talk about the advertising we did or the media attention that resulted from the series. I’m going to answer the question “What did we do with the buzz once we got it? “

That’s the hidden landmine in creating buzz. People get so busy trying to manufacture buzz, but few are prepared for it when it comes. What happens when you get what you were hoping for? What happens when the crowds come in droves? Or, the phone is ringing of the hook? Or, every media outlet wants a sound bite? Things can go sideways before you realize it, and then you start feeding the frenzy around you. In the process, you can lose sight of what you came to do in the first place. It’s dangerous for anyone, especially if you are in the church.

We didn’t set out to create a flurry of activity, but to create a helpful series about sex for people who weren’t hearing the truth from anyone, anywhere about the subject of sex. We tried a few things that people don’t expect from a church, hoping people would be curious enough at least to come check it out. And, that is what created a flurry of activity.

I’ll admit, it even threw me of when we started getting calls from the national media. My mind automatically short-circuited into figuring out ways to manipulate a new message with an expanded platform positively. It’s easy to freeze like a deer in headlights when you are in the spotlight, but it’s just as easy to avoid being surprised if you’ve prepared for it and stick to your original goal. If you can’t say what that goal is, then you’re not ready.

When I asked my senior pastor if he was nervous about the television anchors on their way over with a camera crew, here is how he responded. He remembered the original goal.

"This is not new for us; it’s what we do all day, every day. People matter to God, and we’re just loving people one at a time. I’m not nervous. Reporters are people, too. They matter to God, and they matter to us. It’s just another day at Granger Community Church."

Even with a furry of buzz—local, regional, national—communication isn’t complicated. The old rule still applies—less is more. Did we set out to catch the attention of Fox News in New York or Mancow in Chicago? No. But, when they called us about the series, our senior pastor was prepared. You see, he knew the message never changed. It wasn’t about the billboards, the Web site, the media or the sex.

He started and stayed with the same message from beginning to end—“People matter to God.” Plain and simple.

Comments

[Rick D]

Things we thought should excite the church, fizzle - and things we thought were just going to be simply "another program" have people standing in line to be a part of. When the topic is right, the right people are involved in leading it, and God's will is in charge great things can happen. We can do all we can to align ourselves with His plans, but, as it says in Proverbs 16:9 "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps". "Buzz happens" - don't fight it or try to figure it out - follow God's lead and hang on for the ride!

[Larry Baxter]

A wise answer and good example from Kem. The ministry of Jesus is probably the best example. He wasn't out to generate buzz, but rather to preach the good news, to heal the sick and help sinners. Buzz came all by itself, in both good and bad forms, and he kept on going with the message.

[Janelle]

Interesting there is no "format" but I'm sure there are dos and don'ts beyond staying focused.