Despite what everyone in the marketing scene seems to teach, for the Christian (me), self-promotion doesn’t work! It feels uncomfortable and wrong, and I believe that it causes loss of credibility. As well, it cheapens my authenticity as a trustworthy person and the value of what I have to offer by trying to point people to me, rather than to the One I live for! My product also should point to Him, just like a signpost does.
So, how does a Christian do marketing? The Kingdom of God is based on one main principle: serving others. At its extreme, it means laying down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). Our finest example is, of course, Christ himself, who laid down his life for friends and foes alike.
I have spent quite a bit of time and money trying to follow what many marketing gurus are saying. This, after spending even more time and money creating and publishing, so far, six illustrated books.
One of the main reasons for my recent marketing attempts, has been that, as a Christian, I aim to be a wise and diligent steward of the finances God has entrusted to me. I have felt that the least I should expect is to recover my expenses for my publishing endeavours. So far, book sales have been negligible. Friends and strangers alike have not responded to my “marketing” attempts. Boxes of my books remain full and my bookshelf continues to be cluttered with them. Nothing has worked. My expensive website remains unvisited – no one gives a dam about my books!
Yet! Is that reason enough to give up and start knitting beanies instead? Or pick up my folk art where I left off forty-five years ago?
An unrelenting drive inside of me tells me that I need to persevere with my writing and to continue to familiarise myself with the main components of serious but not self-centred marketing! I need to let go of the world’s success-drivenness, of a focus on mainly marketing results and rather, to hand that aspect over to God!
Excellence in what I do has been a life-long, strong personal principle of mine. It used to have its foundation in being Swiss – the Swiss are generally known to be perfectionists. Then, it was based on seeking glory for self.
As a born-again Christian, that motivation has been “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20); I am now called to bring glory to God alone, which is perfectly liberating, especially as His Spirit residing within me enables me to do so! All he needs is my willingness and commitment.
So, onward and upward I continue to go, with my challenging marketing attempts!
Hi Pia – Some interesting thoughts there. It certainly is a balancing act between doing what God wants us to do as writers and also dealing with self-promotion. The way I see it is that if God has given us an idea, gifting etc for a message he wants us to bring to the world, then we owe it to him to try to actually get that message out there. We don’t look to big sales and an audience for our own glory, but it glorifies him if we do our best to get his message out there and then leave the results to him. Hope you’re enjoying Iola’s course. I found it really helpful.
Hi Nola, Thank you for your comment. Yes, obedience to his whisperings is and always has been important to God. Even Jesus said that “if you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Re course by Iola; she is going at such a cracking pace that all I basically manage to do at this stage is to print out the lessons. Juggling too many balls at the moment. I must and will get to them in the near future because my present marketing is going NOWHERE! 🙁
I agree totally. Excellence is key and first priority. People will connect and come by word of mouth.
Thank you, Sara, for taking the time to respond! Much appreciated!