Do you use the snack or full meal approach when it comes to your ministry marketing? I often encounter passionate leaders so enthused about "what they do" and how they "help the world around them" that they overload their audience with information in their marketing.

I liken it to being served a five-course meal when all I needed was a light snack. When marketing your ministry are you taking the snack or full-meal approach? Your response could be the reason you are missing the mark when it comes to marketing your ministry. Here are my Top 3 reasons snacks are always BEST when marketing your ministry:

1. Snacks are enjoyable and easy-to-digest.

Your ministry marketing should serve as a simple way for your audience to have an enjoyable encounter with your service, product or offering.

2. Snacks are appealing and desirous.

When was the last time you thought "Oh man, so I have to eat ANOTHER snack?" If that’s what your audience thinks when they see your email, postcard, or other forms of ministry marketing—it’s time to revisit your marketing strategies.

3. Healthy Snacks are meant to prepare you for the meal—not replace it.

Does your ministry marketing prepare your audience for their next step? Like snacks, your ministry marketing messages should serve as a bridge between the meals your ministry offers. Random messages with no clear call to action, sporadic event promotions, and inconsistent communication with your audience are akin to serving junk food at your banquet table. These types of messages are sure ways to create an unhealthy relationship with those who can benefit from what you have to offer.

If you are feeling like you ministry marketing efforts could use a boost, start by looking at what you’re serving your audience. Have you been attempting to offer a full meal through your ministry marketing or have you provided junk food for snacks? Here is a simple assignment that can help you get things back on track:

Take a look at your three most recent marketing communications.

• Is the message easy to understand?

• As a stranger, new to your ministry would this communication excite me? Why?

• Is it clear what you want your audience to do next as a result of this marketing message?

• Does the marketing piece (email, postcard, website, etc.) serve as a bridge for your audience’s next step (does it leave them satisfied yet longing for the full meal)?