During February, our thoughts can begin to shift towards Spring and warmer weather. But it’s also a great opportunity to consolidate on the connections made over the Christmas period.
As new families and individuals came into contact with you for your winter events, are you looking to follow up and keep in touch with these people? Research conducted by the Church of England shows that many people who attend a Church for one reason or another, are wanting to stay connected, especially those who’ve connected with you over a significant event (Perhaps a Wedding or a Funeral). Do you have plans in place to keep in touch with these people?
Here’s a few tips on how we can help you follow up and invite people back to Church in this new season.
1- Event Attendees:
Did you have a list of attendees for any of your special Christmas services? Perhaps you sold tickets for a Church Pantomime, or you invited specific families to attend a Crib Service. Under GDPR, you still have Legitimate Interest in keeping in touch with these contacts and inviting them to a future event (Unless they have specifically asked you not to). Often times, a direct and personal invite can make all the difference from simply picking up a flyer or reading an advert.
There are plenty of tools available to Churches who are looking into ticketing for events. iKnow Church is one such tool. It allows you to sell tickets for events, whether they’re costed, or free. You can capture as much information as you need, and distribute tickets through Social Media and your Church Website.
2- Previous Visitors:
Many Churches use simple tools such as ‘Connect Cards’ to capture details from first time visitors for your Church services. These can be a great resource if you’re not already using something like this. Having the ability to capture details, and begin to build a relationship following on from their attendance can be a crucial step to someone joining the Church! If you don’t yet have a Connect Card, check out another of our articles where we provide a free connect card which you can print off and use for your Church!
3- Potential Visitors:
In a similar vein to the previous point, but if you’re able to capture details before someone even attends your Church. Have you considered putting a form on your website which invites people who’re looking into your Church to share some contact details. You could then use this information to start a conversation before you’ve even met them! Maybe inform them that a member of your welcome team will be looking out for them, will be saving a seat for them and prep a free gift for them… Giving your visitors this ‘VIP treatment’ can go a long way in someone being welcome in the Church and perhaps settling with you.
iKnow Church has a new feature which allows you to do just this. Using the Custom Forms tool, you can create forms for almost anything and add them to your website, mobile app or social media.
Do you have any great stories which you could share about this subject? We’d love to hear this! Why not share on our facebook page where you can join the conversation...