Why Some Churches Aren’t Using Google Grants And Why They Should

By now, most churches have at least heard about Google grants, but they’re still not using Google grants themselves.

There’s a variety of reasons why some churches haven’t taken advantage of what these grants have to offer. That’s completely understandable.

Before you pass up on a great opportunity, take a moment to consider the common reasons why churches aren’t using these grants and the benefits your church might be missing out on.

1. They Don’t Realize It’s Free

The top reason some churches aren’t using Google grants is simple – they don’t realize it’s free. Admittedly, getting $10,000 for free, especially from a tech giant like Google, sounds too good to be true. Some churches might think it’s a scam or there’s some kind of hidden fee.

This is especially true for churches who might not even have a marketing budget as it is. But, don’t worry. It’s not too good to be true. Google grants actually are free. As long as your church qualifies, which most do, you don’t pay a single cent for all the free marketing and additional benefits. This fits perfectly into any church’s marketing budget. Plus, it helps you grow your church just by creating free targeted ads each month.

Since it’s free, your church has nothing to lose by at least giving the program a try. After a few months, you’ll start seeing just how beneficial these freebies are.

2. It Seems Too Complicated

Applying for grants isn’t always the easiest process. But, Google makes it nearly as easy as using the search engine. Google lays out all the requirements clearly for the Google Nonprofits Program. We’ve even broken down what’s required and how the application process works.

Outside of applying, the next obstacle for some churches is creating the ads themselves. AdWords seems intimidating at first, but it’s actually much simpler than it appears. You don’t need a marketing background or extensive experience with AdWords to make the most of your Google grant. Remember, your $10,000 in free AdWords credits is free. It’s okay if you use some trial and error at first as you learn the system. However, the system takes you step by step through creating ad campaigns, so you’re in good hands, even as a complete beginner.

If you want to market your church, it’s hard to get much easier than creating ads on Google. Once you’ve figured out what types of ads work best with your audience, it gets even easier.

3. They’re Not Sure How To Use $10,000

If you’re suddenly jumping from a few hundred dollars a month on marketing to $10,000, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In fact, that’s why some churches aren’t using Google grants. They simply have no idea how they’d ever use the entire $10,000 just on ads each month.

However, keywords have different values. Typically, the cost per click is around $1 to $2. When you have several campaigns targeted to your audience, you’ll have far more clicks. With numerous clicks a day over the course of a month, this quickly adds up. Obviously, there’s more to it and costs vary based on your ads and keywords used. But, in the course of 30-31 days, hundreds or thousands of people clicking on your church’s ads uses up your $10,000 faster than you might think.

If you’re afraid you won’t use it all (which you’re required to do as part of the grant’s terms), you’ll definitely use it all.

4. They Don’t Have Anyone To Manage It

If you want to get the most from your Google grant, it’s beneficial to have assign a team to the project. They can work on creating ads, choosing keywords, setting everything up each month and more. But, what if you’re short on staff and volunteers, or no one wants to take on the extra responsibility?

For starters, Google provides highly useful tips to make it easier to manage your grant. We’ve also created a guide to help you get started with your grant faster and create more valuable ads. If you’re still not sure you want to handle this on your own, don’t worry.

You can work with a knowledgeable partner to help manage your grant for you. Instead of investing in software, trying to figure out the platform yourself and using trial and error to create the right ads, you get a team dedicated to helping your church make the most of grant. You might think it’s too expensive to hire someone, which is true if you’re working with partners that cater to major brands. But, with Reach Right Studios, we only charge a flat rate of $297 per month with no long-term contracts. This makes it affordable while driving more traffic to your church website and church.

5. Coming Up With Ad Ideas Seems Difficult

Google ads aren’t quite on the same level as a major TV commercial or even newspaper/magazine ad. Instead, it’s all about using the right keywords. For the most part, it’s not much different than using SEO to increase organic traffic to your church website. Keywords are what people search for. If someone searches for your ad’s keyword and matches the conditions set in your campaign (such as searching from a set location), people see your ad.

The Google AdWords platform can help you find the most valuable and relevant keywords for your campaigns. Of course, you can also use free SEO tools to get an idea of which keywords work best for your church. The best part is you can then use these same keywords to optimize your church website. We’ve also created a great guide on understanding SEO for churches. For even better results, consider using local SEO techniques with your ads.

Once you have your keywords, all you need is a goal. Are you trying to build interest for an upcoming event? Maybe you want to increase online tithing. Or, you might just want to get more people to visit your church’s website. Mix your goal and keywords to create ads that resonate with your audience. By using analytics tools (included with AdWords), you’ll quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.

So, coming up with ideas isn’t really difficult. All you need is a few sentences and you’re all set.

6. They’re Not Sure How To Apply

Applying is simple. You don’t have to go through a third-party or fill out complicated paperwork. As we mentioned earlier, it’s a quick and easy process. The longest part is waiting for Google to verify that your church meets the requirements. Once that’s done, you’ll receive confirmation that you’ve been accepted and you’re ready to start using your grant.

You can check eligibility and apply directly through Google. If you have any questions before you apply, you can contact a Google grant partner to make sure you fully understand the process. At Reach Right Studios, we can help you determine eligibility and guide through the next steps.

7. They Think It’s Only For Larger Churches

A common reason some churches aren’t using Google grants is they don’t think their church is large enough. The massive $10,000 monthly grant seems like it was made for larger churches. Don’t let the amount fool you. Even if you only have a small church family, these grants are for you too. After all, the entire idea is to use the grant to grow your church. This means they’re perfect for small and medium-sized churches too.

Every church benefits from extra marketing money. It’s a great way to reach more people online and offline. So, no matter how small or larger your church might be, Google grants is a great option.

8. They Don’t Realize It’s More Than Ads

It’s hard to look past the $10,000 AdWords credit, but there’s more to it than that. In fact, you get access to several incredible management resources to help run your church without spending money on extra software tools. One of the best tools is G Suite, which normally costs a business extra. It takes all the free Google tools, like Gmail and Drive, to the next level. You get extra storage and a professional domain name, instead of gmail.com.

You get access to a full productivity suite, videoconferencing tools, cloud-based file storage, and more. All of this is included as part of the Google Nonprofits Program. Getting not only ad credits, but free resources to make running your church easier, makes using Google grants even more beneficial.

9. They May Not Know How Popular Google Is

Sure, you know Google is popular as a search engine, but you might not realize just how popular and influential Google really is when it comes to marketing your church. This is why some churches might not realize how beneficial a Google grant can be.

Currently, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is the second largest Internet company, second only to Amazon. Google also has an 86.6% search market share, easily making it the most popular search engine in the world. When it comes to mobile ad-clicks, Google ads accounted for 71% of clicks on mobile devices. As you can tell, mobile users tend to click on Google ads more than those on other search engines.

At the time of writing, Google processes more than 3.5 billion daily searches. This equates to around 40,000 searches per second. Internet Live Stats actually shows you near real-time search data. In just one second, there were over 92,000 searches.

People love to use Google. It’s popular, easy to use and the optimal platform for getting your ads in front of the right audience. Plus, when you have free ad credits to use, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

10. They’ve Never Used Grants Before

Sometimes, it’s more about the fact that your church might not have ever used a grant before. You might rely solely on tithing to support your church and help it grow. While there’s nothing wrong with this, imagine what your church could do with a dozen new members. What if you could add several new families to your church? What if your site’s visits started to double or triple?

Google grants have the power to help your church get more website visits and more members in your church. Think of these grants as a way to supplement what you’re already doing with your church website and social media profiles.

This is Google’s way of giving back to nonprofits. Use this charity from Google to help your church grow and reach more people. Applying for and using the grant are easy. And, every church can benefit in some way.

11. They Don’t Have Experience With Ads

This is a completely understandable reason why some churches aren’t using Google grants. If you’ve never used online ads before, it’s foreign territory. It’s not quite the same as writing a blog post or social media post. However, it’s not all that different either. Ads are just significantly shorter with the goal of driving more people to your church website.

Many churches actually combine Google ads with Facebook ads to reach audiences in both places. After all, many people search social media for a church before searching Google and vice versa.

Remember, at one point, you weren’t experienced with blogging or maintaining a social media presence. Creating ads is arguably easier than trying to learn either of those. So, don’t let the fact that your church hasn’t used online ads stop you from taking full advantage of what Google grants has to offer.

12. Using Ads On Other Platforms Hasn’t Gone Well

On the other hand, if your church has created ads before, you might hesitate on using Google grants simply because you didn’t see much results from your previous efforts. Part of this might be due to budget or only use ads for a short period. Sometimes, it takes several months to see noticeable results. Throughout this period, you’re adjusting your strategy and tweaking your keywords. As you learn more, you get better results.

With a Google grant, you have $10,000 to work with, so budget isn’t a big issue. This gives you even more freedom to try new things, including more valuable keywords. Your previous experience might not have gone as planned, but consider your grant a fresh new start with ads.

Ready to try out Google grants for your church? See how Reach Right Studios can help your church make the most out of your grant while growing your church and reach.

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