Why Should I Have Two?
If you’ve been in pregnancy center work for long enough, you know it is uniquely a world of its own. The level of controversy surrounding your work makes it different from most other nonprofits and ministries.
While most nonprofits garner the support of a large demographic of people and their work is largely viewed in a positive light, pregnancy center work generally appeals to a very specific demographic. Outside of that group of people, your work can be considered highly controversial. While we know what you do every day is life-giving, hope-filled, and saves lives, we also realize this stems from the controversial nature of abortion. Because of this, pregnancy center marketing and communication must be different than other nonprofits.
This is why we encourage centers to have two websites and two sets of Facebook pages. You are reaching two very different audiences – one who loves your mission and one who may not fully understand it, but who you most need to reach..
Two Messages for Two Audiences
Let’s take a few minutes and consider how very different your messages are to your clients and donors.
For your clients, you want them to know you understand how scared and confused they feel and that you’re there to offer services and support for their unplanned pregnancy. A client website has very specific images and messaging that connects with that demographic. It is simple to navigate and contains the basic information they are searching for when they are pregnant so they can easily and quickly reach out to you.
For your donors, you want them to know you are on the frontlines of helping to end abortion in your community. This site will have information about your mission, how many lives have been saved as a result of your work, powerful stories of changed lives, your pro-life fundraising events, volunteer opportunities, financial needs, and an easy to see “donate” button. It should draw in those who want to get involved and support the work you do.
Both messages are important, but they don’t both apply to the two different audiences. In fact, they can very easily turn either audience away if the messages aren’t directed appropriately. An abortion-determined woman will not trust you or ever call you if she sees pages on your site talking about working to end abortion. In the same way, a donor may not fully understand the unique type of messaging you use on your site to reach and capture the trust of a woman in need of your services.
That being said, if you want women coming to you for help to know how much the community is behind you and supporting them, you can include information on your client site about how your work is funded by the generosity of supporters in your community. But the overarching messages are different enough that they should be in different places.
Won’t They See The Donor Site Anyway?
This is where strategic marketing comes in. Your websites should be optimized for different keywords and keyword phrases, meaning your donor site wouldn’t show up in search results of women looking for abortion information.
If you’re investing in advertising and search engine optimization best practices, your messages for your client site should be laser focused on the women you are trying to reach. If they’re searching for information on abortion, your donor site likely will not show up in the first page of search results because it isn’t optimized for that; your client site is.
Different Facebook Pages
Having separate Facebook pages for your two audiences is important as well. You’ll likely see more engagement on your donor-facing page, but your client Facebook page is important for awareness. Many ask us if we really think Gen Z is looking at Facebook. We have found two things – while they may not actively engage, they do scroll the platform for information. And they will search for you on Facebook to see if you have a page to determine if you are relevant.
Donor Facebook
Having a donor-facing Facebook page is so helpful for sharing event information, material and financial needs, real-time updates, and other information. If you know your schedule is full for the day, Facebook is a great place to ask donors to pray for the clients you’ll see and the conversations your staff will have. If a client chose life or prayed to receive Christ, you can share that information as well (keeping it general, with confidentiality in mind!), letting your donors experience that joy “with” you.
Best Practices:
- Post information that connects your donors with clients by sharing client stories. Take out identifying information and don’t share specifics, but share enough so donors are inspired and can understand what their investment is going to support.
- Share about upcoming fundraising events and invite donors to attend. This should be in addition to the emails and mail pieces you’re already sending out about the events.
- Share inspiring quotes or stories from pro-life organizations like Live Action News about women who chose life in spite of difficult circumstances.
- Let donors know if you need material donations for your baby boutique or if you need volunteers to help at your center.
Here are some examples of highly-engaging posts you can put on Facebook for your donors:
Client Facebook
Your client-facing Facebook page serves as an accelerator of word-of-mouth marketing. It will help create awareness of who you are and what you do, but don’t expect to see a lot of engagement on this page. Remember, your clients are scared and embarrassed by the news of an unplanned pregnancy, so they won’t engage anywhere if that engagement will mean more people know about their situation. But when they see activity on your Facebook page, they’ll feel you’re relevant and active and will be more likely to reach out for help.
Facebook best practices:
- Make sure your information is up-to-date including pregnancy center hours, website, contact information, etc.
- Respond quickly to any Facebook messages that come through so you don’t miss people who are reaching out there for help.
- Post at least 3-5 times per week. This will keep the Facebook algorithm happy and aware of your page. You can post inspirational quotes, information about your services, advice, or engaging questions.
Here are some examples of posts you can share on your client Facebook page:
Share With Clarity
Having two separate websites and Facebook pages can be one of the best things you do for your pregnancy center. It will allow you to speak directly to your two very different audiences in ways that will encourage action.
For your donors, that action will be to further engage with your mission. You’ll be able to share client stories (in non-identifying ways) to inspire further giving and support for the work you’re doing. You can invite them to events, post updates about the work you’re doing, and provide opportunities for them to be more involved.
For your clients, that action will be to call or schedule an appointment online. You want that call to action to be clear on every page of your site without distracting them with messages about baby bottles, events, or calls to donate.
If you have questions about how to get started with creating separate websites and Facebook pages, please reach out! We’re here to help and our team would be happy to assist as you go through this process.
