by: Steve Blom
While many industries are just getting up to speed in the world of internet marketing people like Rodney Sampson, founder of the World Christian Times, is running, not walking, down the path of real time internet promotions. Recently Mr. Sampson started working with a leading online marketing agency, In Touch Media Group (www.InTouchMediaGroup.com), to begin promoting the World Christian Times, using Google’s AdWords™ search engine marketing service.
“I couldn’t believe how many people were on the internet searching for faith based services and products,” revealed Mr. Sampson. He approached In Touch Media Group after hearing about how ITMG had successfully executed an online marketing campaign involving Jim Caviezel, star of Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of The Christ. In Touch Media Group conducted a national campaign for the non-profit organization Redeem The Vote for which Mr. Caviezel was the spokesperson. Mr. Sampson, having heard of the campaign stated, “I decided to start using the internet as a cyber pulpit to get my message out.”
Within days of initiating the campaign preparation for The World Christian Times, Mr. Sampson also arranged for one of his colleagues, the prominent Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, (who is well known as an advisor to some of the biggest names in entertainment including Phat Farm CEO Russell Simmons and Reverend Run of Run DMC fame), to begin working with the In Touch Media Group on his online dissemination efforts.
Although Bishop Jordan is already extremely popular throughout the world as well as on the internet with his globally broadcast show on Streaming Faith (www.StreamingFaith.com), his 50 plus books and millions of followers, Mr. Sampson felt that Bishop Jordan’s ability to prophesize should be known throughout the internet on an even larger scale than presently available. “I started talking with Bob Cefail (Chairman of ITMG) and we began investigating just how large the search market was for anything related to religion.” Mr. Sampson said in a recent interview.” It was stunning to say the least”.
There is no question that secular and faith based companies as well as non-profit organizations are all beginning to focus on how search engine marketing can help in developing demand for their offerings. Such advertisers as music giant BMG, Hertz, and global seller Amazon.com are targeting Christian groups with Google AdWords™ campaigns. It is easy to see why such religious icons as Bishop Jordan are jumping into the fray directly along with many other faith based early adopters.
In Touch Media Group Chairman, Bob Cefail, believes that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of faith based online marketing. “The real evolution of search engine marketing as concerns religion”, Cefail predicts, “is when your everyday clergyman figures out that they can grow their congregation using companies like Google and Yahoo. That is when the fun really begins”.
Steve Blom
Executive Editor
Marketing World News
727-465-0925