For a moment, let’s create a hypothetical situation.
Imagine you are sitting in a pregnancy help center and a woman you’ve never seen before walks in, carrying a notebook and a few file folders. She’s dressed like she just walked out of Saks 5th Avenue and has a smile on her face.
“I’m the person you’ve been looking for,” she says.
Before you can ask a question, she continues. “I have a heart for life,” she explains. “I’m a marketing expert. It’s what I do, all day long. I know two things you must know if you are to change the culture in our area.”
Now you’re listening. Closely. You’ve got to know these two pieces of powerful knowledge.
“First, you need to know who needs your services. In my files, I can tell you exactly who and where those facing unplanned pregnancies are. And I have a good idea of those in this group who are thinking of ending their pregnancies.”
Your eyes perk up. Then, she gives you her second piece of information.
“Second, I know how to reach these women. I know what they are thinking. I know exactly what to say to them, so they will trust you enough to call you. The truth is, they need what you offer. They want a place where they can catch a breath, assess what they are facing and make wise decisions. You help them do this.
“But,” she adds, “Unless they call you, you can’t help them. Like I said, you need me.”
You are absolutely stunned. Yes, you need this person.
She then shows you her files, providing you her incredible track record of doing just what she is offering. At this point, you’re sold. She gives you her salary requirements, and you don’t bat an eye. You understand—quickly—that for a game-changing person like her, it will be easy to raise the funds necessary. You shake her hand and the deal is done. You have a new staff member and your organization is about to step into a new realm.
Here is the good news: This person already exists. Over the last several years, many groups within the pregnancy help community—I don’t have room to name all of them here—have created effective research showing what keywords and terms are Googled by those facing unplanned pregnancies.
We no longer have to guess which advertising avenues work best; we know. We now have unfettered access to my hypothetical marketing expert who walks into our office and says, “I can do this for you.”
Still, some of us are saying, “We’re the best-kept secret in town. If only everyone knew about us, it would be different.”
It’s not comfortable for me to say this, but if this is our problem, it is...our own fault.
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With what we have available online today, the only thing stopping us from being the first choice in our communities, towns, and cities is a reasonable financial investment in creating a stronger online presence. That’s it.
“But Kirk, we don’t have the money,” I’m sometimes told. I get it.
But let’s go back to my hypothetical marketing expert. If this person walked into our offices, we would move mountains to get her on our team. We would call a special meeting of our board and say, “Look who I found!”
We would call our top supporters and ask for funds. We would create a capital campaign if necessary, to make sure she joins our team and stays with us. We would do whatever it took, because we would know she is a game-changer.
The only difference is, this person is not just one person. And she doesn’t work for just one of us. There are several expert pro-life marketing firms ready and waiting for us to utilize their services. They know the keywords. They know Google ads. They understand geo-targeting and pay-per-click. In short, they know what works.
I’m biased of course. I love my co-workers at Extend Web Services because I see them stay ahead of the curve on everything new. But there are others doing this amazing work as well.
The only question is, “Are we effective in our online approach?” Because if we are, we have every opportunity to level the playing field with the abortion industry and dwarf their ability to reach potential customers.
Does this require an investment? Sure it does. But it’s an investment which will pay off in untold lives saved. So, if ever there was an investment worth the risk, this is it.
Our hypothetical marketing expert is waiting on our answer. We’d best not let her walk out the door.
