The other day I was just driving around Harare, minding my own business, when something caught my attention three massive church billboards, all on the same stretch of road. Clean. Clear. Professional. Straight-to-the-point messaging.
Then, a few metres down the road… I saw a company billboard that looked like it survived a mild cyclone. Bent. Rusty. Half-faded. That billboard was basically shouting: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are not sure what we are doing.”
Right there in traffic, I learnt a powerful lesson: Some churches are running their organisations like proper businesses and many businesses are running their operations like confused churches.
CHURCHES ARE NO LONGER PLAYING THEY’RE MARKETING WITH FIRE
Gone are the days when the only “advertising” for a church was the loudspeaker on top of a Nissan Caravan shouting, “Jesu arikuuya! (Jesus is coming)”
Now? Churches have billboards that look like they were designed by agencies from Dubai. They pick prime locations. They craft powerful messages. They use colours that command attention.
Meanwhile, some companies are still using billboards that were erected during the Liberation era.
The truth? Churches understand visibility. If people don’t see you, they won’t follow you same way if customers don’t see you, they won’t buy from you.
CHURCHES HAVE TARGET MARKETS AND THEY TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY
Let’s be honest: More congregants = more tithes More tithes = more projects More projects = more influence More influence = amen and amen!
So churches have become strategic:
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They target young people
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They target families
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They target professionals
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They target diaspora returnees
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They target “miracle seekers”
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They even target people who “just want good music”
Your favourite church now has marketing segments more detailed than some SMEs.
TV CHANNELS: 24/7 PREACHING, 24/7 MARKETING
If you have ever scrolled DStv late at night, you know the truth: Church channels are now more consistent than news channels.
Some churches are broadcasting:
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Live services
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Testimonies
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Miracle clips
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Prophecy highlights
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Worship concerts
All day. Every day. On repeat. That is omnipresence.
Imagine if your company marketed its products with that level of consistency your sales team would be too busy to gossip.
SOCIAL MEDIA: CHURCHES ARE NOW INFLUENCER MODE
Every church now has:
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A YouTube page
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A Facebook page
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An Instagram page
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A TikTok page
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A WhatsApp broadcast list
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A media team larger than some corporates
And they don’t post jokingly.
They post miracles. They post testimonies. They post behind-the-scenes. They post motivational clips. They post prophecies.
They make sure the brand is louder than electricity transformers after 3 days of load shedding.
Businesses, meanwhile, are posting once a month:
“We are pleased to announce… blah blah blah.” Zero humour. Zero emotion. Zero strategy. Zero storytelling.
THE BIG LESSON: IF CHURCHES CAN MARKET BETTER THAN YOU, YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE
Whether you believe in miracles or not the real miracle is the marketing.
Churches have accepted reality:
Attention is currency. Visibility is survival. Obscurity is death.
That’s why your prophet is omnipresent, but your brand is hiding like it owes people money.
If churches can:
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Build massive followings
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Run consistent branding
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Use multiple platforms
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Connect emotionally
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Tell powerful stories
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Showcase testimonials
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Create strong experiences
…then why is your business only relying on a tired banner, a dusty shopfront, and one WhatsApp status per month?
THE TAKEAWAY FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Churches are not “lucky.” They are strategic.
They know how to:
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Attract
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Engage
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Retain
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Inspire
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Monetize
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Scale
And the sooner businesses learn these marketing strategies, the sooner they’ll stop complaining about “the economy” and start fixing their visibility.
Because at the end of the day: If people don’t see you, they won’t buy from you. And if they don’t feel you, they won’t follow you.
Even heaven uses branding that’s why there’s a Book of Life.
Are you adopting the same market like the modern churches loud, consistent, strategic, and unforgettable then it’s time to upgrade your brand strategy? Get in touch with us for sales training, entrepreneurship coaching, and business strategy formulation, for your business or organisation.+263 77 961 9739 | +260 972 936 033 Let’s build a brand that’s impossible to ignore.
By The Chartered Vendor
#MarketingStrategy #EntrepreneurMindset #BrandVisibility #SalesTrainingZW #DigitalMarketingAfrica #ChurchMarketing #BusinessGrowthZW #JerryNyazungu #EntrepreneurshipCoaching #ContentStrategyAfrica #BuildYourBrand #AttentionIsCurrency
