Читать книгу Marketing God - Donna A. Heckler - Страница 12

Truth 1

The Hardest Part is Done

“All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

— JOHN 1:3–5

The hardest part of marketing is creating demand. It is hard to get people to understand that they want or even need your brand, your product, or your service, so the best marketers are skilled at creating demand.

Honestly, does anyone really have to have $250 Nike shoes? No. But Nike has done a marvelous job of creating demand. They have inspired people to “Just Do It” with the not-so-subtle message that you can do it better if you are wearing Nike shoes. Nike has invested much of their marketing activity in the creation of demand, getting people to desire their shoes.

Creating demand is expensive. When you are creating demand, you are often creating a new category, defining a new service, offering a new concept. That requires significant research to understand your customers and significant investment in educating them on why your solution answers the need they didn’t even know they had.

The good news for those of us seeking to use marketing strategies to build God’s kingdom is that we do not have to create demand. People inherently seek God. How do we know this? First of all, as Christians we know that we were made in God’s likeness, and God is love. God has placed the desire for love within each of us. Moreover, we see people throughout the world seeking love, seeking purpose. The psychologist Abraham Maslow was one of the early psychologists to identify this foundational need. He famously outlined a hierarchy of needs, which prioritizes human requirements in a pyramid model. In this model, love and belonging are listed among those needs that must be satisfied to achieve self-actualization. More recently, social researcher Hugh Mackay, in his book What Makes Us Tick, posits that two of the top ten desires of humans include “something to believe in” and “love.” People seek love by nature, and this means they are seeking God, even though they may not call him out by name.

The point is that people deeply desire God, even if they think they don’t. In marketing vernacular, the “demand” already exists. That means that the first critical step is already completed.

That does not mean the task is easy. Many people have a difficult time recognizing that what they want most deeply is God. Your first challenge is an education challenge: to help people understand that your ministry, your service, your apostolate can help them to find what they seek. You do not have to invest in creating demand, but in drawing lines of sight between the longing people have for God and the service or ministry that you provide.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta is a beautiful example of recognizing the true demand. She understood that people are longing for love. Her ministry of helping the poor, especially the dying, was in direct response to this demand. Yet there was another demand, one that was less apparent. People needed to be shown their own deep desire to work alongside her in serving those in need. Not only did she invest in providing services to the poor, but she also invested in educating communities about people’s dire needs and how to meet them.

As you consider your ministry and efforts, think about what demand you are addressing. What is the real need you are seeking to fill? How are you answering this need? Once you understand this, you can spend your energy, time, and money showing people how what you have to offer fills that need. The demand is there, and you are called to answer it.

For Reflection

As you look around you, what needs do you personally feel called to meet?

In today’s materialistic society, what are some ways you can help people realize their true need for God?