Plan C is considered the final step in a long line of choices. It follows the shock and fear a client feels when she discovers she is pregnant. It skips over the Plan B pill. Removes the need for an appointment at an abortion clinic. And provides a way for a woman to order an abortion online and go through the procedure in the privacy of her home, without any medical supervision.
Though the FDA has not changed its protocol requiring physician oversight and prescription of the abortion pill, many women are now searching for abortion pills they can order online.
It is advertised across the internet as safe and effective – like all of the other abortions have been marketed for decades – marketed to women as a way to “self-manage” their healthcare.
This means our efforts to reach women earlier in their pregnancies matters more now than ever before. Like those marketing Plan C, you need to be present when and where clients are searching for abortion information. Reach them with alternatives in the first few hours after their positive pregnancy test and offer a safe environment. Their greatest perceived need is to find an urgent solution to their unplanned pregnancy, so you must address that if you want to reach them.
Here’s what you need to know about combating Plan C through marketing in your community.
MARKETING ABOUT THE PILL
Your marketing strategy to reach women searching for abortion pills online will be different than your strategy to reach women sitting in an abortion clinic. You won’t target a geographical location, but you can target women who are searching for Plan C on their phones. You should utilize keyword-rich ads and website copy to make sure women see your information. Here are some specific marketing strategies you can employ:
Utilize Google ads about the abortion pill
In 2019, there were between 2,900 and 4,400 monthly searches just for “plan C” and “plan C cost” across Google. Women are also searching for “order abortion pill online” and “legit abortion pills online.” The number of searches of any keyword about the abortion pill hover between 250,000 and 300,000 on a monthly basis. They are on the rise as more women go online to find ways to terminate their pregnancies.
Using this information, you can run ads on Google targeting these keywords that point women to a landing page on your website for more information. Remember that putting information about abortion on your website is not an endorsement of abortion. Instead, it’s an acknowledgement that women are searching for abortion, and you’re a safe place for them to learn more. We would rather have them get their abortion information from you than on Planned Parenthood’s website!
You should also utilize retargeting strategies to show ads to women who have visited your website pages or blog posts about the abortion pill and Plan C. You know how you can search for a product and then ads show up everywhere for that same product? That is retargeting. You can use it to reach the women who are trying to order the abortion pill online.
Finally, on your landing pages, emphasize the importance of taking a pregnancy test and ultrasound prior to getting any kind of abortion. This is a great lead-in to let women know that you offer both for free in a confidential environment.
Have information specifically about the abortion pill on your website
On your regular website pages, blog posts, and on landing pages, you should write about the abortion pill and Plan C. Stress the importance of needing physician or nurse oversight in case anything goes wrong, per FDA requirements and standards.
As much as the abortion lobby would like us all to think otherwise, the FDA set those regulations for good reasons:
- Plan C has no impact on an ectopic pregnancy, and a delay in getting help for an ectopic pregnancy can be devastating to the health and well-being of a woman.
- Ordering the abortion pill online and waiting for long shipment times (two weeks at the minimum, usually) increases the risk of taking the abortion pill too late in the pregnancy, rendering it ineffective. This causes women to consider a later, second abortion.
- We do not know the lasting impact it has on the baby who survives the procedure.
All of these are reasons you should talk about Plan C on your website. Women deserve to be warned about these dangers, and it falls within your mission to talk about them and to help them find better alternatives to abortion.
And while you address those dangers, you should always point women towards scheduling appointments for free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds at your center.
As you add keyword-rich content to your website about Plan C, the abortion pill, and medication abortion, your site will come up more and more as women in your area search for those things.
Talk about abortion reversal
If you offer abortion reversal at your center, this is another service you should have plenty of content about on your website. Even if a woman is set on having an abortion, she needs to know it may be possible to reverse it if she regrets her decision.
In addition to listing abortion reversal in your services, have a page dedicated to it on your website. You can also write blogs and point ads to these pages on your site.
Know the legality of Plan C (ordering the abortion pill online) in your state
Currently, women in Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington are all able to order abortion pills online through the website TelAbortion.org. That doesn’t mean women in other states are not trying to as well. And there are websites where women can order the pills and can receive them in any state, but the sites are often questionable.
Regardless of where your center is located, remind readers on your website why it’s important to have a pregnancy test and ultrasound before scheduling an abortion.
Ultimately, women trying to order abortion pills online are doing so because it’s convenient and private. We live in the age of Amazon where if a thing exists it can be purchased online. It’s just a fact about our times. Our marketing strategies and plans must be able to compete in that kind of market, even if the strategies feel aggressive and uncomfortable.
If you need help putting together a plan for combating Plan C or have questions for us about marketing, please contact us today! We’re here to help you as you continue serving those in your community who are considering abortion.
