A number of our adoptive parents are currently matched with birth mothers that they located through Facebook pages and Facebook ads. A number of them have submitted some words of encouragement to their coordinator that we asked if we could share with all of our families.
One family created their adoption page immediately. They got it up and going so it could be working for them while they completed the home study. Within just a few weeks of starting the ads they began speaking with a few women. Some continued, some were not valid options, but five seemed to be legitimate opportunities and they gathered the information and presented to their coordinator for screening. Here is what they shared:
“I have to admit, when we started the Facebook page it was hard to think about what to post. But we used all of your suggestions and it started to come easy. Pancakes on Sunday morning, fishing by the pond, my grandma’s hand-written recipe for cornbread, and on it goes. It suddenly became easy and now that we are matched, I find myself with great ideas for more posts, just because I started to see the details in our life that a birth mother would be interested in. Overall, we spoke to five different women (one of which was a total scam!) but are matched with the sweetest birth mother who is due in September. She is married to the father and we are going to go out and meet them both this month. Obviously, we have suspended our Facebook advertising but I am still posting a few times a week so they can continue to learn more about our lives. I love going back over the last few months and seeing some of the fun things (and silly videos!) that I shared. This page is now a treasure and, God willing, will be an important part in our adoption journey. Thanks so much!”
Another family had a different experience, but still one with Facebook. They kept it simple, and used Facebook ads to drive potential birth mothers to their website where they had a video and more. They aren’t matched yet, but have had a number of opportunities.
“Since we are busy parents (of three boys), I didn’t think that posting to Facebook regularly was something that we would be able to do. We spoke with our coordinator and she suggested that we setup a basic Facebook page, and then use Facebook ads to drive the traffic to our website we built. And that’s just what we did! We made sure that our Facebook page had some video, definitely a link to our website, and some other basic contacts, but the paid ads we used were on Facebook to promote our website. It worked like a charm! We have talked to four serious inquiries so far, and, because we are pretty narrow in what we are looking for (a girl), I know it will take a while longer. I love that our coordinator is the one to speak with these women and let them down gently. Even though we are pretty clear on our desire for a girl on our website, we have talked to women who don’t know yet what they are having. And our coordinator does a great job of having those uncomfortable conversations for us! I know it will happen soon!!”
If you have started your Facebook page, let your coordinator know so she can “Like it” and give you tips. If you haven’t yet started your adoption Facebook page, learn more about this valuable asset and get started soon!
