Many organizations put together their marketing materials with the worst approach for getting attention from the people they want to reach. They send their messages out with what Jay Conrad Levinson calls "You Marketing."

• You marketing: is the kind of communication that centers on the organization. When I pick up your brochure as a prospect, I am learning about you. You are talking about you. You are telling your side of the story. 
• Me Marketing: Most people are tuned into what matters to them. They tune in to the messages that speak to their needs from their perspective. If I pick up your brochure and it is talking about "me" I am far more interested. This approach, forces you to find the benefits and life-application of what you are offering to people.

That reminds me of an illustration I read in the Outreach Church Communication's Strategic Outreach Guide by Ed Stetzer and Eric Ramsey, imagine a restaurant that spoke only of their features in "you marketing". They would talk about their staff, their great kitchen, their use of the latest cooking techniques. Who cares?

Now, imagine that same restaurant with "me marketing." They would talk about fresh ingredients, the options I have for what kind of food I want, the variety, the atmosphere of the restaurant for meetings and special occasions like my anniversary. They would make the price right for me, the food to my taste, the presentation pleasant to me.

Now go back and look at your website or brochures. Do you tell about your mission, your great staff, your awards, your programs? Is it all about you-you, you, you? How can you change the copy to reflect more "me marketing?"

About the author: Chris Forbes is a certified Guerrilla Marketing coach and founder of MinistryMarketingCoach.com. He speaks and writes on the subjects of ministry marketing, faith-based nonprofit marketing, social marketing, and Guerrilla Marketing for nonprofits.