Thank you for allowing Ministry Pass to help you plan your Christmas service! We’ve provided this planner to guide your team along as you begin to market and promote your church’s holiday service or outreach. We encourage you to copy these sheets and distribute them to your staff members as you work through the planning process together.

1. Define the win.

The first step to creating a great Christmas event is defining the win. Like a good sermon,

start with the end in mind. Besides the obvious, what do you want to accomplish?

What are your objectives?

Be extremely specific on this point. Do you want your Christmas service to be a fun,

lighthearted experience for the entire family or a nostalgic warm environment for adults

(while the children go to their own service)? The end determines the start. Take a few

minutes and write down your win.

Who do you want you primary audience to be?

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What type of environment do you want to create?

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What’s your end goal? Be very specific.

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2. Develop a creative hook.

Christians don’t need any extra reasons to celebrate Christmas at a church event. The unchurched do. What about your event will make guests want to come? What will jump off your website, mailer, or Facebook post and pull at their imaginations?

Intriguing promos make us want to DVR a new television show. Mouth-watering commercials pull us to visit different restaurants. Create this same type of hook for your event.

You can do this by first developing a concept for the series or service. There are really no rules for this. All you need is something attention-grabbing and an illustration that will serve as a vehicle for the story of Jesus. This concept or idea will become the basis for all of your marketing.

Example: The creative hook is an interactive drama and message titled, “The Elf, the Grinch, and the King.” The goal is to create a fun, lighthearted event for the whole family. Use the contrasting personalities of Elf and the Grinch in all of your marketing.

Write down your creative hook.

What is your hook (concept) to get unchurched people in the door?

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Is the event going to employ drama, video, music, preaching, or a combination?

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3. Your content calendar is important.Schedule out the flow of your campaign. Churches can learn a lot from movie trailer marketing. The first Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer possessed an extremely different tone than the last. There were no action sequences, no shots of the original characters, and the images were backed by a slow, somber score. This style creates intrigue and makes the viewer anticipate the next content release (full-length trailer). As the premiere date got closer, the music and action changed. The score was much different and the trailer contained one action sequence after another.Create a content calendar for your event. Build the anticipation until it gets to the point where viewers are literally counting down the days until your service.

First The Force Awakens Trailer: CLICK TO WATCH

Final The Force Awakens Trailer: CLICK TO WATCH

Plan your content calendar.

How many videos will you create? What dates will those videos play?

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What will the event graphic look like?

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What will the event graphic look like?

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What will you need created? Circle all that apply.Flyer Postcard Social Media Images Banners Website Graphics Video

4. Make it sticky.

People don't share content on social media just because it’s handed to them. Content needs to be compelling, interesting, and unique for individuals to want to repost, retweet, or pass along. It’s important that all content be actionable. People get involved when you give them the opportunity.

Ask questions when you post new information. People typically respond to “what,” “when,” and “who” questions. It's the “why” and “how” they ignore. These are too time-consuming and lengthy to post on the go. Creating sticky content also means utilizing passive marketing to your advantage. For example you might ask, “What is your favorite Christmas tradition?” These questions get people sharing positive memories on your timeline, while, at the same time, associating those pleasant, nostalgic emotions with your upcoming event. If you utilize our "12 Days of Christmas" bundle, we've already created a social media guide for you.

Creating compelling content.

What will make your event content worth sharing?

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How often do you want to post content in the days leading up to your event? When will you start?

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5. Automation trumps determination every time.

Save time and be more effective by utilizing technology to your advantage. Programs like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, or Buffer can be extremely helpful tools when using social media. No one has time to be on Facebook or Twitter every moment of the day. With these programs you can pre-schedule all of your posts, weeks and even months beforehand. This ensures you don’t forget vital pieces of information and it also keeps your timeline from being overcrowded or too dense.

Automated programs also allow you to schedule your tweets and posts during times of high connectivity. Setting up a schedule will maximize your social media marketing campaign and bring consistent attention to your event.

Quick Tip: Images tend to get a higher response rate than simple text. If you’re going to post a quote or a question, use Instaquote (app) to create an image to go with your content. This will also make it pop in the news feed.

Start the campaign.

Who will run your social media campaign?

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What automated program will you use?

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6. Utilize social media during services.

Most individuals don’t realize that 35% of all tweets are tweeted in response to something live. Individuals are more likely to post content when watching a television show or attending a live event. Pastors need to take this knowledge and run with it.

Create contests using social media. You can do this both before and during your event. Make your marketing campaign and service interactive. This simultaneously gets the word out on your event and gives the audience personal ownership of the marketing campaign.

Example: Have a social media contest that allows individuals to vote on which Christmas songs you’ll sing during your service.

How will you utilize social media during your services?

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What contests could you create beforehand?

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We pray your Christmas event is a success and that many come to experience the power of Jesus’ love and redemption this year during the holiday season.

For more information on how Ministry Pass can help brand and promote your event this year, visit www.MinistryPass.com. You can also check out our done-for-you Christmas media bundles HERE.