overview Mission Peachtree is a community of Jesus followers inviting people to follow God in heart, mind and strength.

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1 creative guidebook

2 overview The purpose of Peachtree Creative is to tell the stories and create the calls to action through which Peachtree Church invites people to follow God with heart, mind and strength. 2 This book serves as the guide by which we communicate the mission and values of Peachtree with a single voice through our various channels, including print, video, and the online space. Consistent approach of these principles will facilitate the church s goal to create devoted followers of Jesus. Mission Peachtree is a community of Jesus followers inviting people to follow God in heart, mind and strength.

3 overview cont. Core Principles 3 The Why, Not the What. We re advocates for our ideas, but our constituents are unmoved. They don t care about the idea; only how it impacts them. Great communication minimizes detail, not because it s unimportant but because most of the audience doesn t understand why they should take the time to care. Detail is only for those further down the funnel of engagement. The Fruit, Not the Seed. There is what something is, and what it might be. In order to successfully communicate an idea, you have to show people what might be. In marketing, this is known as the benefit, not the feature. Better than description of the ministry or event is a story of a life changed by the ministry or event. The Brand, Not the Campaign. Peachtree has only one Why - it is clearly communicated in the mission. The brand serves this core Why. Ministries and campaigns change, but the brand never changes.

4 overview The Art, Not the Data. As theologian Walter Brueggemann says, the deep places in our lives places of resistance and embrace are not ultimately reached by instruction. Information is a poor substitute for story. Every great story is specific and personal. Storytelling works because it s full of divergent thinking, and change begins with intrigue. 4 The Content, Not the Channel. Much of communications is concerned with tactics, but tactical concerns are secondary. The channels are merely pipes; content is the water. Each channel is useful; none is the magic bullet. Effective campaigns utilize channels according to audience and message.

5 overview Values 5 Brand. Peachtree is a single church community, not a confederation of competing sub-ministries. As such, all efforts are measured according to their ability to accomplish the named goals of the church. We are a unified church with a common vision. The goal is to invite people to follow God in heart, mind and strength. Priority. Fair isn t necessarily equal. Messages that reach the broadest constituency are given the highest publicity priority. Not every need is treated equally, but according to its alignment with church mission and values. We strive to minimize and eliminate messages that compete with the church s mission and values. The goal is for every message to further the mission of the church. Clarity. Insider language inhibits the ability of both insiders and outsiders to follow Jesus. We value simplicity, accessibility and ease of use. We avoid language, experiences and images that appeal primarily to members and insiders. Language, style and methods should appeal to first time guests over long time members. The goal is reduce noise and confusion in people s lives.

6 overview Excellence. Production of the highest quality is imperative to reaching our professional constituency. Excellence extends to art, design, accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility. The goal is to honor God and our calling by creating work worthy of the highest cultural environment. 6 Sustainability. We measure excellence both by an initiative s initial impact and the sustained systems required to execute it over an extended period. The goal is to produce strategically and with the long term in view.

7 promotion cont. 7 Priorities Tier 1: Whole Church Events These are the core activities of Peachtree and impact at least 80% of the congregation s constituency. These receive the highest emphasis and highest priority resources. Weekly Worship / Sermon Series Christmas Eve Fall Stewardship Campaign Holy Week Channels News and Events Social Media Screen Announcement Calendar Listing Bulletin Announcements Chancel / Stage Announcement Flyers Posters Video, as approved Banners

8 promotion cont. 8 Priorities cont. Tier 2: Major Annual Initiatives and Events Major initiatives have a wide impact in the congregation. Most are seasonal or annual. These receive a significant amount of resources, often for a brief, intense period. Church Conferences (hosting) Mission Global Giving Month VBS Channels News and Events Social Media Screen Announcement Calendar Listing Bulletin Announcements Chancel / Stage Announcement Flyers Posters Video, as approved Banners

9 promotion cont. Priorities cont. Tier 3: Wholly Supported Ministries These ongoing ministry areas are the core of daily life in the church. The work of these ministries is fully supported by the church s operating budget. 9 Bookstore Children and Family College / Young Adults Grand Adults Hospitality Library Men Mission Music Red Dot Student (all) Women Channels News and Events Screen Announcement, Social Media Bulletin Announcement, as approved Flyers, as approved Video, as approved Banners, as approved

10 promotion cont. 10 Priorities cont. Tier 3b: Self-Sufficient Ministries These vitally important ministries are a major part of Peachtree. While they keep separate accounting books, they are not independent, but rather a part of the life of the church. Tier designation is a reflection of accounting method and not ministry strategy. Gym Lodge Café Channels News and Events Screen Announcement Social Media Calendar Listing Flyers as approved Video as approved Banners as approved

11 promotion cont. Priorities cont. Tier 3c: Independent 501c3 Ministries Peachtree has important associations with a variety of independent, non-profit ministries and supports these separate organizations through specially offered reduced rates for services. 11 LaAmistad Lifegate Preschool Channels News and Events Screen Announcement Social Media Calendar Listing Rate Services are charged back on a case-by-case basis.

12 how to promote Channels, the pipes of promotion, are constantly evolving. The challenge for ministry is to communicate where people are. Here are a few rules for the road to navigate this difficult environment: 12 DO This Peachtree logo NOT This Ministry logos Web site, social media, flyers, screens What do people need to know? Less Ministry brochures and print pieces What is cool and trendy? More

13 style 13 Rules for copywriting Reading consumption habits have changed. When reading for information, people are more accustomed to a task-driven approach and have less patience for lengthy prose. More and more documents in both the online and print space are written in easily scannable and bulleted formats. Web copy translates well to print and copy, but print and copy doesn t always translate well to web copy. Consider some rules for copywriting: Write for short-form consumption whenever possible. Keep ads, s, and other promotions to a few sentences. Be direct, use active voice, and get to the bottom line. Avoid flowery language and buzzwords. Eliminate adverbs. When writing longer format material, write in bite-size chunks. Look for ways to create headers every 2-3 paragraphs. When writing personal and marketing s, keep it to one subject and not more than 6-7 sentences maximum.

14 style Does the copy include the basics on what it is? Does it include benefit and call to action? 14 Does the copy answer the main question people ask: What s in it for me? While some basic information is necessary, don t tell someone how good something is (the features). Tell them how your thing will help them get better (the benefit). Is the copy consistent and align with our style guide? Is the copy proofed and correct? How can I trim the copy and say it in fewer words?

15 style guide The why Every major message of the church must answer the question, Why is this important? as well as contain the necessary call to action / details for more information. See brand usage for more information. 15 Church name Always Peachtree. Sometimes Peachtree Church, if necessary. Never Peachtree Pres. Never PPC. Grammar, style and spelling Avoid abbreviations, which are insider and reduce clarity. Write in active, not passive, voice. On titles - Book Titles are in Title Case, Italicized. Articles Are Title Case, In Quotes. Use the serial comma (aka, the Oxford comma). For example: in print, web, and screen. Not in print, web and screen. Avoid all-caps prose and duplicate punctuation, which is like shouting. Spell out numbers one through nineteen and use numerals for 20 and above.

16 style guide Links and urls Stand alone on separate line. All urls in secondary color. Do not use for more info or learn more. If it can exist without this kind of preceding copy, leave it out. When possible, drop and www. 16 This: (web) peachtree-church.org/wbw (print - Summit messages listing) Sermons available on itunes or at peachtree-church.org/messages (print - ad) Come to this free event on March 13 7:15 am Room 2315 in the main church building peachtree-church.org/wbw Not this: Sermons available on itunes or at peachtree-church.org/messages For more information contact Len at peachtree-church.org/wbw

17 style guide 17 Dates and times Full month, date, year. time with pm lower case. no periods. No th or st or rd with dates. This: March 20 March 20, :00 pm Not this: Mar 20th 20 March 2014 March 20 7:00 PM March 20, :00 p.m. - 8:15 a.m. Punctuation No punctuation in headlines, ever. And rarely in copy. Like this: Today In Worship Not this: Today In Worship. Today In Worship:

18 style guide Phone Numbers Always dashes. Never periods, never parenthesis. 18 Like this: Not this: (404)

19 peachtree logo The official Peachtree identity consists of the visual mark (the cross-section of a tree) and accompanying logotype. They must both be reproduced from authorized, production ready art and cannot be redrawn, pulled from the web, scanned, photographed, or modified in any way. 19 Only the Peachtree Creative and Communications team has official art suitable for production. The default usage for the Peachtree logo contains both the mark and the logotype. The Peachtree Creative and Communications team will determine all cases in which the mark may be used without the logotype or the logotype without the mark. Please refer to the brand usage and standards guidebook for more info.

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