The Importance of Banners and Road Signs in Evangelistic Event Marketing

If you’re not using banners and road signs to advertise your evangelistic event, you might be missing out on a critical part of your marketing strategy. Let’s explore why these tools are so effective and I’ll share a surprising lesson we learned from an accidental experiment.

Our Four-Part Marketing Strategy

At Sermon View, we’ve spent the last 19 years working with over 2,500 churches on more than 6,000 marketing campaigns. We’ve developed a proven marketing strategy for evangelistic events, which we describe as a four-legged stool. At the top of the list is the personal invitation—nothing beats it. To support this, we recommend using these four key marketing channels: direct mail, social media advertising, YouTube video ads, and, of course, banners and road signs.

For now, let’s focus on the importance of banners and road signs.

Why Banners and Road Signs Matter

1. Brand Recognition: Placing a large banner in front of your church (especially if it’s located on a busy road) helps people recognize your event. When people drive by and see your banner multiple times, it makes them more likely to recognize your event when they receive a flyer in the mail or see an ad online.
2. Building Confidence: On the day of the event, your banner reassures attendees that they’re in the right place. When they see the same graphics on your banner as they did on the postcard or ad, it builds their confidence.
3. Exciting Your Members: A well-designed banner signals to your church members that the event is important. It raises the profile of the event, making them more likely to invite friends and attend themselves.

Don’t Forget Road Signs

In addition to banners, road signs placed around town can further enhance awareness. Strategic placement—like busy intersections where drivers often stop—makes these signs hard to miss. Pay attention to where politicians place their signs and follow suit (except during campaign season, when your signs might get lost in the mix).

A Mistake Turned Into an Experiment

We used to think road signs were just for brand recognition. But a mistake taught us otherwise. For one event, we accidentally used a different web address on our road signs than the one on other marketing materials. This mistake allowed us to track pre-registrations specifically from the road signs—and to our surprise, 25% of all pre-registrations came from those signs! People were taking pictures of the web address or scanning the QR code, and later signing up.

Real-World Impact

Earlier this year, we helped organize the Propel Conference on Church Growth. We put up a simple banner in front of the church. On the second night, a young woman who hadn’t pre-registered showed up just because she saw the banner and decided to check it out. That banner had drawn her in.

The Bottom Line

Banners and road signs are an essential part of your evangelistic event’s marketing strategy. They’re not just nice to have—they’re highly effective tools for raising awareness and driving engagement.

Wherever you are in ministry, remember that God has placed you there for a reason. Be strong and courageous, and use every tool available, including banners and road signs, to spread His message.

We Support You

Pastor, thank you for the work you do. We’re cheering for you, and we hope this insight will help you in your evangelistic efforts. Let’s continue to reach people for Christ together! I love you guys.