Written by: Rosie Prier
What’s in a name?
“Elizabeth’s New Life Center” was the name our founders chose in 1989 for our pro-life ministry, inspired by Luke 1:41: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the babe in her womb leapt for joy.
Not surprisingly, “Elizabeth’s New Life Center” was on the front door of our original location. When we had the opportunity to open a support center next door to an abortion clinic, the large sign across the front of the building said “Elizabeth’s New Life” in small print, and “WOMEN’S CENTER” in big bold letters. As we merged with existing or opened new locations, we named them Women’s Center-Lebanon, Women’s Center-Sidney, or Women’s Center-Forest Park, for example, based on where they were located. As time went on, only our Administrative Office kept the name “Elizabeth’s New Life Center” as the “parent” of not only all of the Women’s Centers, but also of Holy Family Prenatal Care and Marriage Works! Ohio.
With the internet as the most important vehicle for marketing our life-affirming women’s center services to abortion-determined and abortion-vulnerable women, in the first decade of this millennium we decided to come up with a completely separate website aimed at attracting at-risk pregnant women to our centers. With the various centers already named Women’s Center this and Women’s Center that, we settled on the domain WomensCenterOhio.com, in order to be inclusive of all current (and future) locations. Further honing our brand, a new logo for Women’s Centers of Ohio was developed in 2018. Although some locations still have signs that advertise: Women’s Center-XYZ, we are gradually changing all signage to say: Women’s Centers of Ohio. Now, anyone that knows our brand can type in WomensCentersOfOhio.com and reach our client-focused website.
Why have two different sites? First of all, the target audience for the client-focused website is considerably different from the target audience for our supporter-focused website, ElizabethNewLife.org. We have tried to be very strategic in our marketing efforts to serve as many vulnerable women as possible with the resources God has entrusted to our care. Pregnancy centers that try to speak to both audiences on the same website may inadvertently turn off an abortion-determined woman by listing services on one webpage and featuring the pro-life speaker for their next banquet on another page. If she never comes through our doors, we won’t have the opportunity to personally minister to her, to hear her story, and to demonstrate authentic concern for her wellbeing. Although none of these can truly be done through a website, our online presence is often the gateway for women who need our services. To this end, our client-focused website is secular in nature so it can meet women where they are when considering abortion. Through God’s grace, we know that our efforts have paid off in the many lives saved from abortion and transformed by His love.
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