It's spring, which means that summer is around the corner. Whether you call your church's summer camp VBS (Vacation Bible School) or Summer Camp or a funky brand like "Rock The Park" now is the time to start ramping up your promotion to let people in your church and community know that it's coming up.

We're not going to dig deep into these ideas, but use them as a jump-off point for brainstorming advertising ideas with your children's ministry team:

Ideas to promote VBS (or Church Summer Camp) this year:

• Equip your church members with print handouts and invitations to invite their friends and neighbors.
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  Do a fund-raiser with lawn signs (for $5 or $10 each) that church members can put in their front lawns about your event. Use the money for the "Grand Prize" draw for the week.

• Hang a banner on the side of your building about the event.
• Put up a large vinyl yard sign on your church property or the location of the camp (if it's at a public park or schoolyard).
• Create a video for social media and ask your church members to share the video on their personal social media channels.
• Use some of your vacation bible school promotional budget to "boost" the video on social media promoting it to people who live in your area.
• Think beyond your church congregation. Get the word out to people who aren't walking into your church every week.
• Ask your VBS volunteers to create videos while they're prepping for the event - shopping for supplies, building games or stage designs, picking up t-shirts - and compile that on your social media.
• Put an obvious button on the home page of your church website during the registration season for VBS (1-2 weeks learning up to the event). Post a link on your facebook page and Instagram account to promote registration.
• Get community sponsors to sponsor your advertising and event in exchange for promotion. Even if a business chooses not to sponsor the event, it's a way to let them know it's going on.
• Provide invitational postcards to people in your church. They can write a note and add a stamp to mail it to a friend or family they would like to invite.
• Advertise at your local coffee shop, elementary or high school. Encourage other churches who aren't putting on a program this year to get a group together to join your event or mention it in their bulletin or put up printed flyers.
• Do an "unconventional" fun marketing event where you hand our chocolate bars in nearby neighborhoods or give out water bottles or popsicles at a soccer tournament. Attach your VBS information to the packaging of your giveaway.

However you decide to promote your VBS or Church Summer Camp event, be sure to make it easy to find your event with clear outdoor signage from our team at Church Banners.

Choose something from our catalog or have our design team customize something at no charge!

We'll get your products shipped within a few days of approving your design, and your parents will thank you for making it easy to find your event!

Check out our VBS theme bundle designs today!