A message from Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network:

When I first opened The Garden Bookstore at Houston's First Baptist Church, I assumed that everyone who came to church on Sunday would flock into the store like birds around a bird feeder. I soon realized that I was wrong.

It wasn't that we were not busy, it was just that it became obvious we had a certain portion of the congregation that came to the store and others-even after 18 years-that seemed to have no clue we were even in the building.

I was reminded of this awareness challenge recently when I received an e-mail from one of our regional directors. She told me of a church that had conducted a study of church attendance vs. transactions each Sunday, and discovered that 19% of the congregation was coming into the store each week.

Now, it's not as though our congregants have to drive to find us, or that we do not have or cannot get what they want. Indeed, convenience is one of the church bookstore's pluses. So, what is the problem?

For some of us, it might be that we are off the beaten track of the church campus, and people just don't think about us on Sunday unless something reminds them we are there. None of us expects the pastor to mention the bookstore every single Sunday. Others may point to the "Sunday crunch"-the store is so busy that some people will not wait.

Whatever the problem, how can we increase the percentage of church attendees who visit our store?

In a close community, like a church, viral marketing-or what used to be called "word of mouth"-is important. There's nothing like one person telling another about the store-if they have good things to say!

That means our customer service has to be dependable, our staff knowledgeable, and our store clean, attractive and easy to shop.

Here's a suggestion for viral marketing that came out of a conversation I had with one of my publisher representatives. Have some business-sized cards printed that say "give this card to a friend. On their first visit they receive a 10% discount and on your subsequent visit you receive a 10% discount."

Have a place on the card for the name of the customer who is taking the card. When it is used by a new customer, file the card until your loyal customer comes in and surprise him with a discount. You may have a software system that will allow you to flag your customer's account for a discount the next time they shop.

Other ideas for keeping your store "top of mind" for those who attend your church include being sure to have a presence in any regular printed or e-newsletter your church distributes, fliers about products that support the ministries of your church inserted in the bulletin a couple of times a month and displays in the major thoroughfares of your church.

The point is, people are busy, they forget, they get sidetracked. It is our job to remind them, in as many ways as possible, that we are there to serve and support them in their Christian life.

I would love to hear some of your ideas for making your bookstore known. You can reach me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..