Before COVID-19, many parishes focused on being more welcoming and making the Mass more accessible and relatable. Many parishes now are concentrating on safety precautions, or others have simply gone back to business as usual. But according to recent survey results from Vinea Research, for some Catholics, neither of these approaches will bring them back.

In order to evangelize more effectively, the language we use has to resonate. In order to make the language we use resonate, we have to know our audience.

Marketing isn’t simply about sitting in a room and thinking carefully about how best to promote our positions—whether on the importance of Christ, the importance of giving to the poor, or on social issues. Maybe it used to be.

But in today’s environment, we need to understand what motivates each group we are trying to reach. We need to learn about key aspects of our audiences, from how they form their opinions and views on related subjects, to the impact of their past experiences and family dynamics. Only then can you develop alternative ways of framing points to see what best resonates with each segment.

Whether you are a parish, a diocese, advocacy group, educational institution, or a ministry, you can learn essential information about the people you serve.