Community Engagement as a Marketing Strategy

Have you considered how community engagement can be part of your Pregnancy Help Organization marketing strategy? Both community engagement online and reaching out within your community are important pieces of your marketing strategy.

Community Engagement with Supporters

What are your supporters looking for when they seek to engage with you on social media and your websites? Your supporters want to feel connected to the cause they are supporting. This looks different for every supporter, whether they donate financially or donate their time. 

If one of your supporters or someone close to them has faced an unplanned pregnancy, then he or she might connect with shared client stories and want to be directly involved in supporting the work you do in your center. Consider holding a Zoom meeting where those supporters get to talk with your center staff about what is going on the centers. Try scheduling tours or an open house at your center, so they feel part of the work you are doing. 

Or perhaps you have a supporter who is a high school teacher, and you have a sexual risk avoidance program that goes into schools presenting healthy life choices. He or she may want to be directly involved in supporting that work and hear success stories from students or from your team that presents in the schools. 

When it comes to getting out into the community and doing outreach, it is important that you stay consistent with your branding. If you are presenting at a church and then setting up a table, be sure any Power Point presentations, videos or items on your table are consistent and have your logo and brand colors included. This helps your supporters and any potential clients become familiar with and learn to trust who you are when they see content online or out in the community. 

Community Engagement with Clients

What type of posts or website content are your clients looking for? Who is she? What type of events would appeal to her? If you aren’t sure of the answers to some of these questions, that’s why we are here. Please let us know if you need help getting answers.

What we can tell you is that it is very important to know the demographics in your community and who it is that is looking for you and the help you can provide. Then gear what is on your site, social media and any events you host or participate in toward who she or those close to her are. 

Here are some client centered outreach ideas where those who need your help most can become familiar with you, meet you and learn to trust you:

• Host a community diaper and baby wipe giveaway.
• Set up a table at your local university or college fair with giveaways like pens, lip balm, candy, or even T-shirts, etc. Make sure whatever you are giving away has your logo and is consistent with your branding.
• Be present at any community social service fairs or events where a table can be set-up and women and families can learn about the life-saving help you can provide. 
• Set-up appointments to meet with your local schools’ guidance counselors or nurses and provide them with information about the services you can provide to students who may find themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy. 
• Meet with local physicians who are like-minded and provide them with information about how you can serve patients that come to them facing an unplanned pregnancy or in need of parenting guidance and material assistance. 

These are just a few ideas that will boost your community presence and help you engage with your clients, potentially before they even need the services you provide. 

Getting to know both your clients and supporters and what they are looking for and then highlighting those topics or associated events on your website and social media will make them feel connected and engaged. Being out in the community and having a presence at churches, schools, universities other non-profit organization’s fairs, your local health department, WIC, and community social service agencies are all important pieces of your marketing strategy from both a supporter and client perspective and will create trust in who you are and the knowledge that you are there to serve those who need it most. Let us know how we can help!