The Electrical power of Word of Mouth Advertising and marketing
By Father Frank D. Almade
In 2002 the romantic comedy “My Significant Fat Greek Wedding” starred an not known actress, Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the Academy Award-nominated primary screenplay. She acquired financing of $6,000,000—a modest quantity in Twinkletown numbers. Critics were being so-so toward the movie, but audiences loved it. Within 6 months it grossed around $368,000,000—61 periods funds.
3 several years previously a shaky, frightening very first-film pseudo-documentary, “The Blair Witch Challenge,” hit the screen. Made for a paltry $750,000, with no advertising spending plan, it took in $250,000,000—333 times budget.
These are outstanding numbers. Most Hollywood (and Bollywood and unbiased) flicks are fortunate to gross 3 or 4 times their budget.
How did “Wedding” and “Blair Witch” do it? Phrase of mouth. I was doing work in a diocesan office when “Greek Wedding” came out, and remember one of my team raved about it. So I went to see it. It was chuckle-out-loud amusing, so I informed all my friends about it. Phrase of mouth.
What does this have to do with the rate of fish (as my father would say) or with your parish?
My classmates and I a short while ago celebrated our 42nd anniversary of priesthood. Each and every of us has our individual vocation tale and every functions an individual (a mum or dad, grandparent, teacher, parish priest, aunt, good friend) who told us about priests—what they do, who they are, how they minister to individuals in the name of Jesus. They had been the “word-of-mouth” to us, sharing their faith and their love of the priesthood and the Church.
Our vocations did not occur as thunderbolts from heaven. They arrived as a result of regular folks, trustworthy Catholics, whom we knew and dependable. Their witness opened up our imaginations to the probability that God was contacting every of us.
We are surrounded by advertisements: on the Web, tv, billboards, vans, shirts, structures, stadiums, even airplanes. But none of these merchandising autos is wherever around as highly effective as the homey words of your very best friend’s advice.
This is my invitation to share what you like with another person else. Share your really like of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Church, of your parish, of the Catholic priesthood, of the vocation to married existence or one existence or volunteering or the diaconate. You do not have to fear about convincing any one to do everything. All you have to do is share.
Explain to a person about your really like of the Eucharist, and invite them to appear to church 1 time. Describe how a priest assisted you in a time of will need. Go on what you learned by volunteering at a faculty or CCD system. Use the electric power of “word of mouth” to market your parish.
Like the sower of the seed in the Gospel parable, you by no means know what sort of floor your word of testimony will land on. Rocky and dry, or on fertile soil the place it normally takes root and flourishes?
We require nutritious, holy clergymen. Tell a youthful male you that you see these attributes in him, and that he must imagine about discerning a vocation to the Catholic priesthood. We need to have young, enthusiastic volunteers. Permit another person know how serving other individuals in our parish is a excellent way of pursuing Christ. We will need loving and devoted married individuals. Witness to the electricity of the sacrament of matrimony in your family.
Suitable now, my merged parish has five priests and 3 deacons. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, say, 20 several years from now, because of your term of mouth, 5 much more clergymen and 3 far more deacons emerged from today’s parishioners to serve the next generation? What if, in five many years, the selection of energetic parishioners doubled? How about if the holiness and outreach and singing and prayer of your parish grew to become an inspiration to every single Catholic church in western Pennsylvania?
Insane, proper? No less outrageous than two small films which made 61 or 333 instances their budget — all simply because of phrase of mouth.
Father Frank Almade is the pastor of St. Joseph the Employee Parish.
