Marketing for Catholic business owners — from someone who understands.
I’m Joe McMullen. I started Blackbird Digital Marketing because Catholic business owners deserve a marketing partner who understands both the business and the vocation — and I couldn’t find one, so I became one.
I’ve been doing digital marketing for over 20 years — two decades in my day job running large B2B marketing programs, and the last 5+ years building small business B2C marketing on the side. Websites, SEO, content, LinkedIn, the full stack. I am good at it.
But over the last few years, I kept noticing the same thing. The Catholic small business owners I’d meet — at my Knights of Columbus council, in men’s groups, in the Catholic LinkedIn groups I’m part of — were all quietly struggling with the same problem. They wanted to grow their businesses without compromising their values, and every marketing resource they could find either ignored their faith entirely or treated it like a gimmick.
I watched friends pay for “Christian” marketing courses that didn’t understand the Catholic calendar. I watched others hire secular agencies and then spend half their consulting time explaining why Advent isn’t just a Christmas countdown.
So I built Blackbird Digital Marketing to fix it. Same marketing skills I’ve always had. Now pointed at a specific group of business owners who’ve been underserved for too long.
I’m based in Deering, New Hampshire. I work with Catholic business owners across the country — Etsy makers, coaches, consultants, authors, small retailers, and the occasional Catholic media brand. If you’re building something and you want it to grow without compromising what it stands for, we should talk.
What Blackbird Digital Marketing is NOT
A few things to save us both time:
We’re not a parish marketing shop. Parish communications, diocesan campaigns, and ministry promotion are different disciplines. Good ones — just not mine.
We’re not a Catholic evangelization organization. Evangelization happens. But our job is marketing. If your business shares the faith, great. If it doesn’t overtly, also great. We work with both.
We’re not a “Christian marketing” agency that happens to take Catholic clients. Generic Christian templates don’t understand the liturgical calendar, the sacramental worldview, or the rhythms of a Catholic business owner’s year. We do.
We’re not the cheapest option. There are plenty of $99 template shops and $15/hour freelancers. We’re not trying to compete with them. If you’re looking for cheap, we’re not it. If you’re looking for a marketing partner who understands the work and gets it done, we should talk.
We’re not the only people thinking about this. A real Catholic business ecosystem already exists — the Catholic Marketing Network has run for 30+ years, SENT Ventures has built a thriving founder community, and there are excellent Catholic agencies serving parishes and dioceses. What’s been missing is a marketing services firm built specifically around the liturgical year for Catholic small business owners. That’s the gap Blackbird fills.
What Blackbird Digital Marketing actually does
We help Catholic-owned small businesses grow through:
- Clear, values-aligned messaging that attracts the right customers
- Websites that look modern and convert visitors into bookings
- Content strategies that run on a liturgical rhythm (feast days, seasons, saints)
- Social media presence on the platforms your customers actually use
- SEO that helps Catholic and values-aligned buyers find you
Three tiers depending on what you need — from one-time message fixes to complete lead system builds. See the services page for specifics.
Why This Niche
“Catholic business marketing” is specific for a reason.
Catholic business owners have rhythms secular marketers don’t see. Advent is not a Christmas sale. Lent is not a diet season. The feast of the Assumption is not “late summer content.”
More importantly, Catholic business owners have customers who are looking for them — customers who want to buy from businesses that share their values, who trust businesses that understand the Church year, who’d rather support a small Catholic-owned shop than the faceless alternative.
Most marketing work ignores this entirely. That’s the gap Blackbird Digital Marketing fills.
Think we might be a fit? Book a free 20-minute consultation — no pitch, just a conversation about whether Blackbird Digital Marketing is the right partner for what you’re building.