by Lauren Bell, Extend Web Services Manager

The average internet user will spend nearly seven hours per week watching videos online and Millennials tend to hit 10-20 hours of video viewing each week.In 2022, 82% of internet traffic came from video streaming and downloads. (Shepherd, 2023) With all this video content being created, consumed, and shared, is your organization utilizing the opportunity to reach your target audience through video?

 5 reasons to incorporate video into your outreach efforts:

1. Videos are engaging: Whether your target audience is a young woman searching for help or a major donor looking to fund a project, videos will engage your viewer. Videos educate and inspire, but most importantly people will watch them.

2. Videos invoke emotion: Videos make people feel. Emotions help you connect with your target audience quickly and effectively. It’s important to make an emotional connection quickly because you don’t have much time to reach someone on a digital platform. It’s not unusual for a woman to spend just a few seconds on a website before clicking away, but if you can connect with her through video in the first few seconds, you’ve increased your chances of building trust and prompting action.

3. Videos prompt action: Once you’ve invoked emotion in your audience through video, people are more likely to act. This will boost your conversion rates considerably. Whether it’s to make an appointment or give a gift, nothing will spur that action quicker than a well-crafted video.

4. Videos work on multiple platforms: One video can be a tool used across multiple platforms. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A video used on your website can easily be uploaded to social media. Just be sure you are using the correct format and orientation when you share. Video is great for mobile phones and since the vast majority of internet traffic comes from mobile devices, video is a tool you want on your platforms.

5. Videos increase your search result ranking: Simply put, Google loves videos, especially videos embedded on YouTube. Having at least one video embedded on your website will increase your chances of being ranked higher on search results. Be sure your video content is relevant to the content on your page.

At Extend Web Services, we offer a wide variety of digital marketing tools to help you reach women in need as quickly and affordably as possible – now including video!

With any marketing tool, it is important to test out what works best for your marketing plan and keep trying new ways to increase your reach online. We hope you’ll take advantage of the new videos offered by Extend as we continue to partner with you to reach and rescue lives each day.

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Shepherd, J. (2023, May 15). 30 vital video marketing statistics you need to know in 2023. The Social Shepherd. https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/video-marketing-statistics

by Julie Stepp, Writer, Heartbeat International

If a human mind can be a computer, then mine has mapped out the general locations of pregnancy help organizations in the US, and in many other countries of the world. I know where the data is poor and where it is rich. I see complex organizations and simple ones: kindness offered by one or two people, or care offered through a well-built, multi-level, complex organization. I’ve heard the voices, prayers, tears, laughter, and praise of my fellow workers in the pregnancy help movement and connected them with their data. It seemed like the phone up to my ear was only a thin separation between me and a true sister.

I’ve seen so many spreadsheets and so many issues that could only be fixed one by one, hour after hour. I’ve checked for commas, periods, and missing numbers in zip codes. I’ve capitalized and removed capitalization. I’ve verified EINs, called, emailed, reminded, gotten aggravated, and given grace. I’ve seen the names, emails, and addresses so many times that they’ve become familiar. I can look at a list and notice what stands out, what might be different, and what either might need correction or is a change in the landscape we hadn’t noticed yet. I can sit at a table with a center’s director at our Conference and know what the name of their center is when they name the city. I feel like I know these centers.

I also feel like I see these centers in such a way that I fancy myself being one of the few who gets to see them this way. I’m not saying I’m the only one who thinks fondly of pregnancy centers, of course not. I’m saying God has granted me the special place of seeing these centers as a data set, in a list, and I think fond and knowing thoughts when I see their data exported in an Excel spreadsheet. I’ve carried a weight on my shoulders of getting their data right so that women can contact them correctly or get the services information they need when they visit OptionLine.org. I’ve watched, worried, and crooned over getting their legal data right, so they don’t have any issues receiving money donated to them from one of our generous anonymous donors. I’ve gotten to know them, by the list, painstakingly, with care, praying over their entries as I’ve set them up in the Worldwide Directory Word document.

These centers are special to me, and I like to think that God takes care of them. He is God above, and I am of the earth. I can only pretend that my mind knows the details of the pregnancy help world map, but He truly does. He is all-seeing and all-knowing. He even sees my painstaking details to get things right. He loves my effort, and I’ve got to say He loves your effort too.

And if you were ever wondering if those "data people" have a heart, well, you might not have to wonder anymore…

Heartbeat’s Annual Conference, for all intents and purposes, is a weeklong event for Heartbeat staff, if you include planning, raising funds to attend, jetlag, the whirl of conference keynotes and workshops, more jetlag, recovery, and then bringing all that learning and understanding into your centers. It is hard, tiring, refreshing, and exhilarating work all at once. But, of course, we all feel it is worth it, or else we would not undertake the planning (or the jetlag).

 Every Tribe. Every Nation.

For me, hands down, the best moment is watching the Parade of Nations, when every nation represented in the Heartbeat family bears their nation’s flag in the grand ballroom of the hotel. I do not participate in the parade, but I get to watch it from the back of the room. Almost always, through tears, I observe as nation after nation is called forth – from Albania to Zimbabwe – and ninety-one nations in between are called forth: Burundi, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania, and Uganda. It evokes tears around a room of 1200-1400 people, most of whom may never have the opportunity to visit most of their pregnancy help family members around the world. It is a beautiful, awe-inspiring, and humbling moment. Take a moment and click on the link to watch the 2023 Parade of Nations  at the Breakthrough Conference in Louisville.

Why does a 6–7-minute parade of nations stimulate such a strong reaction from our affiliates, both USA based and internationally based? For me, I am responding to the unspoken but demonstrated reality that our God is on the move – He is up to something big. We all get to be a part of this movement of God, a movement that is so much bigger than any one person or nation, and best of all, God is at the head of the Parade. He is the one who leads us in a sure and certain triumph. The Parade is to display the splendor of His work, His character, and His glory.

An Unexpected Opportunity

Some opportunities are more unexpected than others. And we are excited about some opportunities more than others. Last March, Heartbeat was invited to participate in a panel discussion at the United Nations (UN). We were not expecting the opportunity, and as one of the two persons who participated, I must confess my feelings of hesitation, anxiety, and, at the same time, the honor I felt to speak at the UN on behalf of Heartbeat. The UN is not known for its willingness to embrace the pro-life movement, or for having a pro-life stance.

Unfortunately, it is often a forum for promoting and financially supporting abortion and anti-family values and initiatives; it may be said that the United Nations is a hostile environment for individuals and nations with pro-life positions. Heartbeat was given nine minutes to speak on the heart and work of the pregnancy help movement in Latin America, buttressing the thesis of the panel: pregnancy support and resources for women in unplanned pregnancies is women’s health care that all women need and deserve, which is the clarion call of the Geneva Consensus Declaration . 

‘Yes to Life’ Showcased at United Nations

Following remarks by H.E. Ms. Carla Maria Rodríguez Mancia, Representative, from the Permanent Mission of Guatemala to the United Nations, Valerie Huber, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health, and other pro-family organizations based in Central America and Guatemala, Heartbeat was able to showcase the work of Centro Ayuda Para de la Mujer (CAM), and specifically of its affiliate in Guatemala, Si a la Vida (Yes to Life). Guatemala is a small Central American country with a population of approximately 17 million people, and just one pregnancy help center to serve its population.

For Si a la Vida, a CAM/Heartbeat affiliate, that has meant serving and resourcing over 3,000 women who received free gynecological care, over 2,500 who received mental health help, and 743 women who were helped with post-abortion trauma care. If we are talking about aftercare for the woman and the family, it looked like 232,660 packages of diapers distributed free of charge, and 928 baby kits. It also looked like pregnancy tests and food resources; all of this was accomplished through a team of volunteers and over the years, resulting in the lives of 6,668 babies blessing their mothers and families. Click here  to listen to Heartbeat’s presentation. If you are Spanish speaking, click here  for the entire panel discussion.

It was an honor to represent Heartbeat, and to represent, not only CAM and Si a la Vida, but all of you in the Heartbeat family of affiliates. Thank you for being part of the opportunity to showcase the display of God’s splendor in what you do every day in the public square of your communities, villages, cities, and nations. For CAM, that has meant serving tens of thousands of women in unplanned pregnancies, offering resources and essentials for every woman to be able to make a choice for life through its network of 71 National CAMs and 135 International CAMs in 20 countries, having a total of 206 CAM centers. You yourselves know what pregnancy help has looked like in your country.

Every Moment You Serve, You Proclaim

As much of an honor as it is, let’s be honest. It is difficult, scary, challenging, and humbling to be in the public square waving a pro-life flag. Maybe you are not waving a literal flag, but you are waving a flag in every action, every moment you serve a woman in an unplanned pregnancy, every time you choose to take the counter-cultural step of reaching and rescuing the woman in an unplanned pregnancy. Every can of formula you deliver, every alternative to abortion you offer, every time you open the doors to your center or maternity home, every ultrasound you offer, and every minute you spend listening to her fears and obstacles to carrying her baby to term, you are waving a flag that proclaims to your nation, “I am here for the mothers and daughters of my country.”

Heartbeat thanks you for waving the pregnancy help flag in your country, day after day, week after week, and year after year. It may look like a discussion at a table at the United Nations or look like carrying your national flag at our Annual Conference . It may look like pregnancy help centers going into the very halls of legislative bodies to present the good work that pregnancy help centers do every day. We know that every day looks like compassionate care: reaching and rescuing women in unplanned pregnancies, even in communities that oppose and oppress you. And every day, it looks like women being rescued, babies being saved, families being restored, and communities being renewed.

Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications and Marketing of Heartbeat International, shares three valuable resources for Pregnancy Help Organizations (PHOs):

Pregnancy Center Truth – Pregnancycentertruth.com

A resource created to refute claims made against pregnancy centers “in an effort to ditch the rhetoric and stick to the facts..."

Pregnancy Help News – Pregnancyhelpnews.com

A website that reports on “current events, happenings, and milestones,” as well as inspirational stories within the pregnancy help community for PHOs around the world.

Pregnancy Help Podcast – Pregnancyhelppodcast.com

A collection of conversations and interviews with prominent pregnancy help experts around the world.

Save and subscribe!

Save Pregnancy Help Podcast as your favorite podcast.

Subscribe for Pregnancy Help News updates.

2024

Click here to read more about this year's parade of nations, including to view pictures.

To purchase this video, along with our International Keynotes, click here and select "Jacinta McGorian, Kate Lawlor, Svetlana Jovanova & Parade of Nations" under Keynote Recordings.

2023

Join us for a unique opportunity to experience Heartbeat's Pregnancy Help Conference!

Thursday, May 1 — Friday, May 2, 2025

We're excited for you to join us in April! Space is limited, please RSVP online to reserve your spot.

Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex & Sheraton Birmingham Hotel 2101 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N, Birmingham, AL 35203

.          .          .          .          .          .          .

RSVP TODAY — SPACE IS LIMITED!

by Mary Peterson, Housing Specialist of Heartbeat International

Fall is here! With this great season, we think about football, pumpkin spice, and…baby safety?!?! Yep, in addition to being the time of shifting weather and changing leaves, September is recognized as Baby Safety Month.

In the spirit of recognizing the role of having a safe environment, here are a few safety tips that impact a group living environment, especially with newborns:

1. Wash your hands. When you read about promoting health, especially in group environments, handwashing is ALWAYS mentioned as the key starting place. Whether it’s singing silly songs, giving the stink eye, or side-by-side modeling the behavior, figure out a way to create a culture of clean hands. (Note: Stink eye, while a technique used by moms everywhere, should be used only in special circumstances.)  If pretty-smelling soap promotes the distraction of germs, it’s worth the investment!

2. Use products according to directions and the child’s age, weight, and developmental needs.  That’s the big one given by the promoters of Baby Safety Month so I thought I should feature it!  At maternity homes, we are pretty good at “making do”—but when it comes to the well-being of our little ones, I like the motto, “When in doubt, throw it out.”

3. Be attentive to sleep safety! It’s a tough one to convince sleep-deprived mamas and nearly impossible to regulate, I know! But having safe practices around sleep will give peace of mind and hopefully, better sleep to everyone involved. Maybe we could share creative ways to talk about safe sleeping in our Facebook group?!?

4. Be attentive. Watching moms engage deeply with their child(ren) is one of the joys of maternity home life. Whether engaging playfully, meeting the baby’s needs, or watching for safety hazards, homes should be a source of encouragement for the mother’s active participation in the life of her child. The habit of managing distractions—especially with gadgets constantly at our fingertips—is a great life lesson!

5. Prevent slips, trips, and falls. These everyday hazards are a common threat to kids—and adults!—of the house. Pregnant women may not easily see the underfoot and falling objects that can be dangerous to infants on the ground or in cribs. Be aware of cords, ice, and other hazards.  Teach the adults of the house (staff, volunteers, and residents) to turn on “risk assessment” eyes as they observe the environment!

Let’s raise a pumpkin spice latte to the safety of our homes! May they be places of well-being and protection!