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5 Things Church Leaders Can Learn from Infomercials

Have you ever been awake at 2 a.m. and found yourself curiously interested in an infomercial?

Have you ever been flipping channels, only to realize that you’ve “accidentally” watched the amazing cleaning power of Oxi-Orange-Glo-2000 for more than 10 minutes? Have you ever thought to yourself, “You know…I really DO need a knife that can cut through a tin-can”?

Like them or not, informercials are effective forms of direct advertising. Billy Mays was a master at pitching products, and America responded with their credit cards.

Why do infomercials work? And what can your church learn from them?

1. They show a demonstration of the product.

When you watch an infomercial, you see the product working in a variety of settings. Knives cut things, juicers juice things, and the P90X people look fit.

When it comes to church finances, why don’t you take a few minutes in your church service to pull up your Web site on the big screens and actually show people how to go online and set up a recurring donation? Demonstrate online giving; don’t just tell people it’s available.

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2. They are sold with the aid of testimonials.

People buy products because other people have bought products, and informercials do a great job of bringing product stories to the forefront.

When it comes to finances in the church, use testimonials to connect the dots. Imagine the power of someone saying that they have given to this church for the past 5 years and how they feel good about their investment.

I’m not talking about telling winning-the-lottery stories – those prosperity stories won’t connect with anyone. But it’s powerful to listen to someone explain exactly why they give. The same thing holds true for event sign ups. Instead of just giving the information, why not show testimonies from people who attended similar events in the past?