“As long as I have been in media and communications, it never ceases to amaze me how many folks, especially in the Church, know little or nothing about how to tap into — well, media and communications. Even though we’re called by Jesus Himself to go out into the whole world and preach the Good News, often despite the countless opportunities in today’s vast media landscape, the Good News doesn’t get much further from the front door and barely makes it onto the parish web site. That’s why Donna A. Heckler’s book, Marketing God, is so badly needed. We are, after all, the Lord’s hands and feet, and Marketing God can help any ministry, diocese, or individual take some major marketing steps in the right direction.”
— Teresa Tomeo, media expert, motivational speaker, best-selling author, syndicated Catholic talk show host of Catholic Connection and The Catholic View for Women
“In her book Marketing God, author Donna A. Heckler draws upon her many years as a successful corporate brand marketer to show the reader how proven techniques utilized in a business environment can also be effective in building up a parish or any faith-based organization. Her helpful examples and observations on how successful brand development and management can be applied to evangelization efforts make this a must-read for anyone involved in the work of the Church.”
— Alan Napleton, president of the Catholic Marketing Network
“Donna A. Heckler provides those ministering in the Church real insight to how we, as Church, can build relationships that reveal God’s everyday presence. Her approach of providing a lot of ideas in a simple-to-follow format challenges the reader to take some simple steps in ‘marketing God.’”
— Fr. Ed Pratt, Pastor at Church of the Ascension, Kettering, Ohio
“How do we get the Catholic message across in this secular age? In her book Marketing God: Inspired Strategies for Building the Kingdom, Donna A. Heckler suggests we ‘fight fire with fire.’ In other words, adopt strategies that have spelled success in the corporate world of marketing. We all buy into their genius — how many daily choices have been made for us by brand name advertisers? Now the author, who spent years successfully promoting well-known brands, lays out a detailed plan applying the best the world has to offer to promote the Good News.”
— Sr. Mary Lea Hill, FSP, writer, editor, and author of Prayer and You: Wit and Wisdom from a Crabby Mystic and Blessed are the Stressed: Secrets to a Happy Heart from the Crabby Mystic
“Donna masterfully correlates Bible verses to marketing strategies and demonstrates how the Bible and faith can guide each of us as we share our ministries, parishes, and organizations with others. All we need to do is ask: Matthew 7:7–8.”
— Pamela Evans, founder and president of Evans Consulting Group, Cleveland, Ohio
“As a former Corporate Executive and a recent revert to the Faith, I used to say, ‘The Catholic Faith needs a new marketing plan!’ Lo and behold, Donna A. Heckler has done just that! Her easy to read, easy to understand principles rooted in faith will help anyone in a ministry to further expand God’s Kingdom here on earth. Long overdue, thank you, Donna.”
— Kendra Von Esh, Catholic author and speaker, and TV news anchor Shalom World
Marketing God
Marketing God
Inspired Strategies for Building the Kingdom
Donna A. Heckler
Our Sunday Visitor
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Huntington, Indiana 46750
Except where noted, the Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible — Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition), copyright © 1965, 1966, 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Every reasonable effort has been made to determine copyright holders of excerpted materials and to secure permissions as needed. If any copyrighted materials have been inadvertently used in this work without proper credit being given in one form or another, please notify Our Sunday Visitor in writing so that future printings of this work may be corrected accordingly.
Copyright © 2019 by Donna A. Heckler
24 23 22 21 20 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts for critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without permission from the publisher. For more information, visit: www.osv.com/permissions.
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
200 Noll Plaza
Huntington, IN 46750
1-800-348-2440
ISBN: 978-1-68192-400-7 (Inventory No. T2294)
eISBN: 978-1-68192-401-4
LCCN: 2019936311
Cover design: Tyler Ottinger
Cover art: Shutterstock
Interior design: Amanda Falk
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
This book is dedicated to Saint Paul,
who was truly one of the most
effective marketers of God.
Contents
Truth 1 The hardest part is done
Truth 2 Brand and marketing are not bad words
Truth 3 Nobody will love your brand the way you love it
Truth 4 Everyone needs to own the brand
Truth 5 To communicate well, less is more
Truth 7 Price is the communication of your value
Truth 8 Brands are influenced by the associations they keep
Truth 9 The customer experience is the brand experience