I wrote an email to my mailing list today and talked about a shift in focus to reach parents directly on social media. Because my updates are kept short (3 updates, 3 asks), I didn't delve into the "why" behind the shift. We like to celebrate the resounding successes rather than dwell on things that didn't work so well. The point of this blog series, however, is to delve into what works and what doesn't.
Asking school clinicians and therapists to share Empowered Together with their families didn't work in the sense that it didn't result in requests to join Empowered Together.* Maybe those channels can be effective down the line but I couldn't crack the code to it right now. Where I was seeing requests to join was from a few facebook posts I made. Now that has me exploring the channel of social media and it makes sense when I think back to early customer discovery conversations. When I asked parents where they went to find support and answer kid-related questions, facebook was most commonly cited. None of the parents actually like facebook; it's impersonal and attracts gripers and "performative parents" who like to see their advice in print. But all the same, there's more than a critical mass of folks ready to offer their opinions so it does serve a useful purpose for parents. My idea is to go to where the parents are already going, parents who are willing to engage online and conversant with technology platforms, and offer a solution that might better meet their needs. It's a tricky approach because I respect facebook groups' rules and won't post self-promotion where it's not allowed. But it does pose an interesting angle on going direct-to-consumer.
Maybe next time I send an update, I'll blog about the "why" and share that, too, in case folks are interested in the longer story.
*I add this note to dispel any myth regarding conflict of interest. As background, this post originally appeared on 2/15/22. Fast forward to 12/7/22 and I (Sarah Spear) was appointed to my local Board of Education in order to play an active civic role in childhood education, an area of personal passion. During the intervening 10 months, Empowered Together focused on establishing enterprise partnerships with large, private institutions serving individuals with disabilities. Neither Empowered Together nor I are seeking school-based partnerships. Hopefully this makes clear that I serve on the Board of Education as a citizen who cares about our local school district and without any professional interest. For the latest on Empowered Together's services and model, please visit the website. (2/2/23)
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