Guest Post by Michael Holmes:
A friend of mine wrote a post that had me thinking It was entitled: “Are you literally marketing like the devil?”
Now doesn’t that just stop you? It stopped me. And it got me thinking about marketing:
- What it is
- What most people think its not
- And why Jesus was a Master Marketer
What is Marketing?
Many people (good meaning people) think marketing is evil. But how could it be? God created it. Paul said, “Everything, absolutely everything…got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.” [1] That “everything” also includes “marketing.”
Unfortunately, marketing gets a bad rap because of bad men…but at its core its not bad, its good.
Marketing is communication. It’s telling people about the benefits of something AND asking them to experience it themselves. It becomes viral when people who experience the benefits (and are impressed by it) start telling other people about it. And the greatest form of marketing is not direct mail, not ads, not cold calls, not commercials, but service: service that exceeds expectations.
Jesus understood that.
With no marketing budget, no blog, no social media, no ads, no direct mail He drew crowds so immense that most marketers would’ve passed out from disbelief!!
What was His secret?
He served. He met the needs of people. The Bible says:
“From there He went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the Truth of God. God’s kingdom was His theme – that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all.” [2]
Jesus was a Master Marketer!
What’s the Difference?
The devil’s a marketer too. And let’s be honest, he’s pretty good. When you can get someone to give up joy, peace, contentment, and eternal life with God for a piece of fruit…you know you can sell!!
So both of them (Jesus and the devil) are marketers, so what the main difference? Simple. Jesus delivers what He promises!
Jesus promises and over delivers, while the devil over promises and under delivers! Why? It’s simple he’s “a liar and the father of lies!” [3]
Your job as marketer is to deliver on what you promised. To be there like you said. To serve. To meet needs. To exceed expectations. Do that enough times and people (like a Samaritan women) will tell everyone they know about you: “Come see a Man…Is not this the Christ?!” [4]
Or, ”Hey! Check this out! Isn’t this what (or who) we’ve been looking for?!”
What are your thoughts?
- Colossians 1:16 (The Message)
- Matthew 4:23-24 (The Message)
- John 8:44 (New Living Translation)
- John 4: 29 (King James Version)
Michael Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. His new project is Tithe(H)acker.