Say what you will about Harold Camping, but he was extremely effective in getting his message out. His followers pounded the pavement, his message broadcasted online and in radios all over the country, and his works were translated to 75 languages.

On his program on Monday, he boasted that he preached God’s message to the ends of the earth. While mainstream Christians reject Camping’s message as heresy, they can’t argue with his incredible reach.

Why was he so successful? A lot of it has to do with the fact that Camping’s message is dramatic, so it naturally attracted the media and piqued everyone’s curiosity.

However, other factors also contributed to his success. These are tips that every organization can learn from.

1. Pound the Pavement

Get your message out there with real, aggressive marketing (spending a few hundred bucks on Google ads doesn’t count). Take a page from Camping and get pairs of feet out there to spread your message.

Sometimes, there is just no substitute for a live human being who can hit your targets on a personal level.

2. Don’t Whitewash Your Message

Camping was unapologetic about his message and told it like it is. He offended many people and incurred ridicule. However, he also attracted thousands of loyal followers who gave him money and hit the streets with his message.

For most organizations, success is defined by attracting loyal followers – whatever everyone else thinks about you is irrelevant in most cases.

Whitewashing your message to not offend anyone, therefore, accomplishes nothing except for alienating your core followers.

3. Think Market Share

If something works, think about expanding and grabbing market share.

When Camping co-founded Family Radio in 1958, he saw that it worked (i.e. people supported the programs and gave donations). He then focused on buying up more radio stations.

Today, he has an empire.

Had he been satisfied with enjoying the fruits of his labor and milking the success of his first station, he never would have ascended to his current position of power and influence.

Religion