Let Google Help Bring People To Your Door

GOOGLE CAN HELP MY CHURCH?

Ahh, Google. It’s one of the seeming-monopolies of the modern day. The online statistics website StatCounter estimates that Google is the preferred search engine of more than 88% of those in the US who use a search engine. Other similar sites have the Google Search market share at closer to 92%. Much like Xerox for photocopying and Coke for soda, Google is basically synonymous for search engine. And it is frequently used both as a noun and a verb. One can use Google to … “Google”!

You may have also heard that Google’s corporate vibe is distinctly different. A few examples of Google’s unique approach are bio-diesel shuttles to help transport employees to the office from home, massage professionals available in their headquarters, the ability to take your pet to work, and an in-office arcade game room!

As part of its overall corporate culture, Google is a company who likes to give back. And this giving can benefit your church! While this isn’t direct money handed to the church in terms of donations, Google has a program in place that can help bring people to your church door. For those who also volunteer for other non-profit causes, this can benefit you, too!

GOOGLE CAN HELP MY CHURCH – FREE? WHAT IS PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING?

The Google AdWords Grants / Google for Nonprofits program gives $10,000 in in-kind click advertising to qualified churches and groups – free! And this $10,000 in free advertising is monthly! Many, many more churches should be taking advantage of this program!!!! (I know that’s a lot of exclamation marks. My apologies, but there is a huge amount of money that can benefit churches going away unused with every month that passes.)

A lot of advertising on the Internet is what’s known as Pay-Per-Click (PPC.) It’s a pretty simple concept. Google allows an advertiser to pay to attract “Google searchers” for certain key words and phrases. If a person comes to Google.com and types “church management software” for example, one of the results would likely be Church Windows Software. Church Windows and other companies pay Google to help bring people to their “digital  door” – our website. Church Windows, like other church management software companies, pays Google “per click.” Every time someone clicks, Google charges Church Windows or any other advertiser for that prospective customer. Sometimes, this might be just a few cents. Sometimes, it can be a few dollars or more for each click. The clicks work on a bidding system. Think of it as eBay for potential leads. “Leads” in the case of churches   would be someone searching for a nearby church. Maybe someone who has just moved to the area or someone who is searching for a different church.

“OK, SOUNDS GREAT. TELL ME MORE, PLEASE.”

What Google offers through the Google AdWords Grants for Nonprofits program is $10,000 in “free clicks.” By going to google.com/grants, a representative from your church can get the church registered, prove your qualification from the IRS as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, and begin taking advantage of the free advertising that Google offers. If there’s no one at the church who has the knowledge, time, or desire to tackle the process, Church Windows has a couple of partners who will offer to help.

Now right up front: Though our advice is free, asking for help from one of our third-party partners is a service. As such, their services are not free. However, we have negotiated with them and they understand churches    operate under tight budgets. If you visit the Church Windows website at www.churchwindows.com, you can find a link to Sprout Marketing under the Investigating > Partners section. Another premium partner for this service is Shout It Out Design. Shout it Out Design can help both with the usage of Google AdGrants free click advertising, but is also a website creator and host. (They host the Church Windows website.)

GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT YOUR CHURCH!

Month after month, these free advertising “click” dollars are going unused. So why is Church Windows Software interested in promoting this Google program? It’s simple. Our customers are churches. We find many churches are challenged with keeping the pews full on a Sunday morning. Successful churches will hopefully need excellent tracking & reporting software for Membership, Donations, Accounting, and Payroll. We sell and  support that: award-winning software to keep churches organized and hopefully help them succeed. And the Google AdWords for Nonprofits is a great complement to help churches promote themselves and make  potential church members aware of the church.

Craig Chadwell is the Webmaster, a Tech Support team member, Marketing Director, and always looking to help churches succeed at Computer Helper Publishing, creators of the award-winning, time-saving Church Windows Management Software. He can be reached at craig@churchwindows.com.