7 Eye-Opening Strategies To Market More Like Jesus

Business owners are often reluctant to market products and services because it feels like self-promotion. We don't want to come across as arrogant or self-serving, especially in the Christian marketplace. I was thrilled to find a way to help me overcome this challenge and market more like Jesus. 

My first introduction to the book Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller helped change my mindset about marketing. Within 10 minutes, I knew I'd stumbled upon a missing piece in my business, and the concepts would fuel how I helped current and future clients. 

While conducting research for a client, I unexpectedly found myself engrossed in a podcast episode on church leadership. Though marketing wasn't on my agenda, it felt as if God intervened as Donald Miller emerged as a guest speaker. I pressed play before heading to the grocery store, but soon I found myself parked, captivated by the entire conversation. The StoryBrand framework resonated deeply with my heart and mind. It even stirred my spirit.

As Donald walked through his StoryBrand framework, it felt as if the pages of the Bible had come alive, revealing many of the same strategies Jesus used to share the message of the Gospel.

Was Jesus a Marketing Genius?

Jesus's ministry centered on love, compassion, and forgiveness. He was consistent in His message and actions (word and deed), which helped him build a loyal following who faithfully engaged with His teachings. 

Jesus was a marketing genius in His time. He achieved results most business owners dream about, despite the absence of modern tools and techniques.

Here are seven eye-opening strategies you and I can adopt to help us market more like Jesus. 

Use the power of story to market more like Jesus.

Jesus was a master storyteller and used parables to convey complex ideas in a way that was easy for his audience to understand and remember. By using relatable and memorable stories, Jesus could engage His audience and make His message more accessible. Matthew 13:10-16 explains that Jesus used parables (stories) to help people see, hear, and understand. 

A story is a sense-making device that elicits an emotional response from an audience. Stories cut through generations, demographics, and political slants to touch hearts and build unity through a shared human experience.

When you use stories in your brand marketing, you set yourself apart and resonate with your ideal audiences. To do that, you must focus on the needs of your audience. 

Focus on the needs of your audience to market more like Jesus.

By focusing on the needs of His audience, Jesus was able to build a following of people who saw a need for change. In addressing their physical, material, and spiritual needs, He performed healing miracles, fed the hungry, and addressed deeper needs like love, forgiveness, compassion, and salvation. The apostle Paul painted a picture of His humility in Philippians 2:1-11.  Jesus gained the trust and loyalty of His followers while offering hope and inspiration.  

Consider the following passages describing how Jesus understood his followers' challenges and met their needs. 

• Matthew 9:35-36 (CSB): "Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd."

• Matthew 15:32 (CSB): Jesus called his disciples and said, 'I have compassion on the crowd because they have already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they might collapse on the way.'"

By revealing that He knew what His followers needed and then meeting those needs, Jesus helped people feel seen, heard, and understood. When you focus on the needs of your audience with your messages and actions, you can do the same. 

There's more to it. Jesus addressed their emotional pain points as well. 

Recognize pain points and show empathy to market more like Jesus.

Jesus actively listened to his followers, asking them questions and demonstrating His empathy and willingness to understand their emotional needs. He wept with those who were grieving and showed kindness to those who were hurting. This developed a personal connection and demonstrated His concern and empathy for what they faced.  (See Mark 6:34, John 11:33-35, and Luke 7:13-14.)

Hebrews 4:15 conveys the importance God places on empathy. It says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin (CSB)."

You can learn from Jesus' example and develop personal connections with your audience in your business. When you take the time to listen to their concerns and show that you've walked through similar challenges, it helps them feel your empathy and know that you understand the emotional pain points they experience. Demonstrating your concern and empathy creates deeper connections with your audience and builds stronger relationships rooted in trust and understanding.

But before your audience will follow you, they must understand your authority. 

Keep sight of your authority to market more like Jesus. 

Jesus' message was characterized by authority and power. He spoke with conviction and confidence, and His message was grounded in Scripture and the wisdom of God. Matthew 7:28-29 demonstrates how that authority set him apart and inspired people to listen: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes (CSB)."

Despite his authority and power, Jesus remained humble and submitted to God's will. He never sought to elevate himself above others but served and loved those around him. By modeling humility, Jesus showed His followers what it means to walk in God's authority with grace and compassion. Consider. . .

• John 13:14-15: "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you (CSB)."

• Philippians 2:8: "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross (CSB)."

In today's marketing, there's a fine line between showing too much authority in your message and not showing enough. To market your brand successfully, owning your expertise while remaining humble is essential. Demonstrate you know what you're doing while making your customer the hero of the story.  Knitting empathy and authority into your message will help you find the balance you need and market more like Jesus.

But you’ll need to show them the next steps to take before your audience will buy.  

Provide a plan and a call to action.

Jesus provided a plan and a call to action to His followers in several ways:

He communicated a clear vision for His ministry to His followers, explaining His purpose and what they could do to help achieve the vision. He provided clear direction, even commissioning His followers to continue His work after he was gone.  See Matthew 4:19-20 and Matthew 18:19-20. 

Jesus empowered His followers to take bold action and make a difference. People only take action once they're instructed to do so. By providing a roadmap for your audience and a specific call to action, you empower your audience to greatness.

Sadly, your audience still won't buy unless you create a sense of urgency. You do that by showing them the consequences of inaction. 

Show the consequences of inaction.

Showing the consequences of inaction helps motivate people to action. As a marketer, this can often feel like you are manipulating your audience to buy or engage. But through Jesus's example, it becomes clear that when done with integrity, showing consequences can build trust and credibility.

Jesus showed the consequences of inaction in the Parable of the Talents, the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, and others. When people clearly understand what may happen if they don't take action, it can motivate them to take steps to prevent adverse outcomes.

As you market your business, a small dose of consequences can go a long way. You don't need to overload your message with negative outcomes but sprinkle in just enough to inspire your audience to action. 

Then, remember to show them how it will look and feel to find success. 

Paint the picture of success.

Jesus described a future where everyone was treated with dignity and respect, and God's will was done on earth as it is in heaven. See Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 21:3-4 as examples. By sharing this vision of success, Jesus inspired his followers to seek to live out His ways.

In business marketing, you paint a picture of success by helping your audience envision how your product or service will help them overcome a challenge. When people see a clear picture of success, they are more likely to believe it is achievable. They are motivated to take steps to make it a reality. 

A vision of success can also create a sense of excitement and anticipation, which can help to build momentum and interest around a product or service.

Casting Aside Doubts to Market More Like Jesus

As business owners, there are times when we may hesitate to engage in marketing activities due to concerns about self-promotion. We want to avoid appearing arrogant or self-serving. 

We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus used many of the same marketing strategies we can adopt today. Even in His humble nature, Jesus knew the importance of communicating his message effectively and inspiring people to take action. 

We market more like Jesus when studying and applying his methods in our businesses. Then we can feel confident that we are using marketing practices that are grounded in integrity. 

As business owners, we can embrace the strategies in Building a StoryBrand with boldness and creativity, knowing that—ultimately— we're marketing more like Jesus and following in His footsteps as one of history's most extraordinary marketing geniuses. As a StoryBrand Certified Guide, I'd love to show you how. Grab some time on my calendar, and let's talk about how you can market more like Jesus.