A Google AdWords grant could make a major difference for your church and be the perfect marketing solution that doesn’t cost your church a dime.
As long as you’re willing to maintain an active website and really focus on creating great ads, this grant helps your church with many of the most common problems, such as boosting donations.
If you’re still on the fence about applying for a Google AdWords grant, think about all the benefits. You have nothing to lose by at least trying and everything to gain.
Looking to get started on your Google Grant? REACHRIGHT can help!
Gain More Volunteers
Your ads are served to potentially millions of users. Do you realize how many people in your local area don’t even know what types of programs your church is involved in? Maybe there are some unchurched people who are on the fence about going back to church, but once they see an ad that your church has a program to help feed hungry children after school, they may decide to at least volunteer as they learn more about your church.
AdWords is ideal for gaining visibility about your various church programs that need volunteers. Remember, your volunteer pool isn’t always limited to just members. If you have online programs, you could gain volunteers worldwide to help you out.
Extend Your Reach
You might already know about how social media, such as Facebook, helps improve your church’s reach. What you may not realize is you could extend your reach for free with a Google AdWords grant. One of the main benefits of using AdWords is reaching people who would likely never hear about your church any other way.
As people search for things on Google, your ads are shown based on the targeted criteria you set in your ad campaign. Suddenly, people from all over the country or even world are seeing ads about what your church has to offer. While you’d have to pay for this kind of reach on most platforms, Google helps nonprofits do it for free.
Save Church Funds For Other Purposes
Google AdWords grants give you $10,000 per month in ad credits. Most church budgets are already tight. In fact, nearly 70% of a church’s monthly budget goes to church staff and maintenance (such as utilities). Even if you’re bringing in the average of $173,370 monthly (for churches under 200 members), you only have around $50,000 left in your budget. This has to be split among program and ministry costs, which quickly depletes your budget.
Now, if you’re trying to spend thousands every month on ads, this is money that’s not going to improve ministry or create better programs that grow your church. Thanks to free ads, you’re able to reallocate part of your marketing budget to other areas of your church.
Boost Online Donations
Google lists just a few of their success stories, but when it comes to boosting donations, The Fred Hollows Foundation serves as the perfect example. Due to AdWords alone, the organization boosted online donations by almost 15%.
Not only are you saving money with a Google AdWords grant, but you’re also helping to bring in more donations. What could your church do with a 15% increase or more in donations? Could you start a new ministry program? Maybe you could better equip volunteers to help in the local community. The good thing is these donations could come from anyone, not just members.
Drive Online And Local Traffic
Church growth is always important. You want to reach more people, including the unchurched. The right ad at the right time could be enough to persuade someone new to give your church a chance. Seeing an ad shows that you’re serious about growth, which may make them believe you’re serious about helping others grow in their faith.
Boost local traffic with geo-targeted ads. Bring in more online traffic with other targeted campaigns. By boosting traffic both ways, you increase your reach, engagement and donations.
Learn More About Your Audience
One often overlooked benefit of a Google AdWords grant is the chance to learn more about your audience. Detailed statistics help you figure out what does and doesn’t resonate with your target audience. Maybe certain phrases actually drive people away while a thoughtful question pulls more in. By learning this, you’ll be able to create better marketing campaigns through Google and other platforms.
Need help creating the perfect ads and using your full $10,000 budget? Learn more about how we improve your search engine ranking with creative, engaging Google AdWords ads.
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