In this post, we are kicking off a new series today focusing on your adoption profile.  I must say two areas that are my specialty in helping people really with their adoption profile and putting that profile to use their social media to match expectant mothers. So, you all are in for a real treat today. Because not only do you get the benefit of my 20, some odd years of marketing career, for some of the largest brands in the world, but you also get all the learnings that resulted from that with just shy of a billion dollars in advertising spend that I have been responsible for throughout my career.  You also get the benefit of matching three times super quickly and my adoption journey. 

And for those of you that might be a little confused by me saying, I've matched three times, but knowing that I have two children, I had a disrupted adoption, seven days of parenting. So I suppose you benefit from all those great lessons too—anyway, enough about my experience. Let's dive right in to kick off our adoption profile series. I'm so excited, and I hope you are too. 

Today, we're going to focus on why you should think of your adoption profile as much more than a book or a PDF, brainstorm a list of all the places that you could share your profile, and then we're going to talk about how you can make sure you're sharing your profile in the right places in the right way. I know you're going to find tons of value in this post, and it will be a great reference tool for you to reference as you create your profile. And as always, if you have questions, jump on over to the Facebook group, and I will answer them. I’m in there every single day, multiple times a day.

Historically, when people talk about an adoption profile, they always talk about a book or a PDF, something that's physically created and shared with expectant parents. And there are some agencies and advocates out there that still stand by that as being the only way you should share your information with expectant parents. But I would argue that your profile is so much more than that these days. This is primarily driven by the rise in social media and just how important it has become in your overall adoption journey. And listen, if you're using one of those agencies that just says, hey, profile book and PDF are good, and you're OK with that, then totally don't worry about this aspect of what I am sharing today. 

However, if you're ready to ramp up your matching efforts differently, I would take some time to work with what I am sharing with you today. And for those of you that are either matching on your own or working with an adoption professional but also trying to match on your own, then hold on to your seats because this series of episodes and their free live training that I'm going to offer in just a few weeks is going to be absolute fire. Like show up with a pen and paper every single week with the step-by-step kind of guide you always get from me, and you'll be able to make some real quick action. And if you're dying to get your spot for that free training that I'm going to offer in a few weeks, then grab you can grab it below.

Why Your Adoption Profile Should Be More Than A Book

Okay, so you've probably caught on by now. But I'm passionate about adoption profiles and how critical they are in your adoption journey. And I'm equally passionate about your profiles, not just being a book. I believe that any piece of content shared with an expected family is that adoption profile these days. Did you notice that funny little word I used there, content? I use that word intentionally because it explains what you are creating content about your family in stories to share with expectant parents. I know that word may sound a little confusing, or, you know, just a little like Amanda, I don't work in marketing. What are you talking about? I don't know what content is or even how do I make it? Don't worry, I've got you covered. We'll dive deeper into that and that free training in a few weeks as well as throughout this series. 

For now, I want you to focus on the idea that these days there are so many other things that make up your adoption profile beyond just a book and challenge you to think about the different types of content that you engage with most in your daily life. For me, it is like picking up an encyclopedia to learn how to do something versus googling or even finding a YouTube video, or maybe even listening to a podcast, right? If you're trying to learn something step by step or learn more about someone, Where do you go? What helps you make your decision? 

Now think about that, with the pressure and intensity of picking out who will parent your child? Do you think you can make that decision after reading a few books? I mean, likely not, right? Instead, let's shift our thinking to create a profile that will help make it easier for potential expectant parents to understand you better. And you want to create content that would be appropriate to share in all of the places you could potentially be interacting with expected parents. 

Think about all the places you could share your adoption profile.

A few episodes ago, we kind of lightly touched on this idea of sharing your profile in different ways. But now it's time to get serious about our thinking and shift our attention there. So ask yourself this question, where could you possibly share that you're trying to adopt? Increasing the audience that knows that you're trying to adopt and asking them for help is an excellent thing for your exposure? Did you catch that funny little word exposure? Again, a little bit of marketing lingo, but don't worry, I will break it all down for you step by step. Okay. 

So now, let's think about this just a little bit more granular; there could be places that you would share your profile in real life and digitally.  This is the perfect time to start making your list, or if you're in the Facebook group, head on over to the guide section and grab the free resource that I've given you for this episode, I've given you a starting point there as well. 

Now let's talk about that funny word exposure. Again, when I say the whole objective here is to get more exposure. What that means is to get more people to see your profile. Having more people see your profile, it'll help you in a couple of different ways. First, if they're not considering placing a child for adoption, they likely aren't, but they might know someone who is or someone else who can share your profile. And I use that word profile, again, super loosely, right, we'll talk about that in a minute. The more people that see your profile means that, the more feedback opportunities you have. We don't want to get stuck in this constantly updating our profile loop for each person. But it is good practice to pay attention to the general feedback or observations from those who have interacted with the content you shared. 

And finally, for those of you that are pulling out all the stops and putting paid advertising dollars behind your profile, driving to your website feature or to your Instagram account to create exposure, you want to make sure that you're only getting exposure from a qualified audience. This is super important because otherwise, you are wasting your money. I have a massive passion for this space for getting the right message to the right audience. So if you need help here, or you're partnering with one of those, you know, firms out there that promise to give you exposure. Legit, this is my zone of genius. Reach out, and I’m happy to provide you with feedback on the different options and those types of things because I just don't want you to waste your money. Because some of those companies out there are doing just that, friend. And if you're worried about that, just reach out. I’m happy to steer you in the right direction. 

The whole idea behind exposure is getting more qualified people looking at your profile and a qualified audience. In this example, people that either come in contact with someone who is looking to place a child for adoption or that is considering placing this child for adoption? 

Ways To Share Your Adoption Profile 

Sharing Your Adoption Profile In Real Life

Okay, let's shift gears just a little bit and talk about how you can share your profile and real life. This is something that I've talked about before on the podcast. But I think it is worth mentioning again, and you never know who in your circle might be considering adoption or know someone that would be considering adoption. And again, I'm continually inspired by our community in this space. 

Several of you have adopted before by connecting with a friend or a friend of a friend. And that is just amazing. That is getting exposure in the right places to people that are considering or have friends that are considering for them to know that you're adopting that is just so powerful. If this is something you're open to, consider what you would share with them to get to know them better. And obviously, you're not going to walk around passing out the PDF and books all over town, right? 

Instead, I would highly consider having things that are easily transferable between different people and allow them to be discrete. This is the one aspect that often goes underlooked or overlooked in real life when expectant mothers are considering placing their child for adoption. And those early moments of her decision-making, she might not be shouting that from the rooftops. She might also not be shouting that from the rooftops as she goes into delivery. So she isn't want to carry around a big book in her purse or bag that someone could stumble upon and start questioning, why do you have a book like this? Instead, I would think about something small, like a brochure or a business card. But on there, it's super critical that you have a place where she can learn more about your family. Because from that content, that's what she'll decide whether or not she wants to get to know you a bit better, right. So in this instance, your profile would be a brochure or a business card and the place that you would send them to learn more about you. In this instance, I would think a website is the best place to go. 

Now, I know that when I say a website, your heart probably sunk, right? I don't know how to do that. And it sounds super expensive. Or you might think I need to go to one of those hosting providers in the adoption world. But don't worry, I've always got you covered. We'll talk more about that and the free training in a couple of weeks. And I'll give you the step-by-step to creating a website, a brochure, and a business card super easy. 

Oh, and if you already have a profile and don't want to start over from scratch, don't worry; I will talk about how you can take your existing profile and make it even better. If you want to be one of the very first ones notified when I open the doors to choose your exact time that works for your schedule, sign up at the link below for our free training.

Sharing Your Adoption Profile Digitally

Okay, now let's shift gears and talk about what a profile could look like through digital options. We touched on a few of them so far in the episode, but it could be a website or social media. And again, don't get hung up on the idea of a website and think, Oh, I can't do it. Because it requires a website, I have you covered in training. Don't worry about it, and I promise it'll be okay. Just take a deep breath. And let's keep working through this together. 

So for right now, let's focus on social media because that's likely something you already have. And because all of the options within social media do explode continually, right? There's always some new thing coming out from Instagram in particular, or maybe a new platform that's out there. So from a social media perspective, I would think about six main places to focus on from social media. 

Seven Ways To Share Your Adoption Profile In Social Media

1. Facebook Groups

2. Facebook or Instagram posts

3. FB or IG stories

4. Reels 

5. IG TV

6. TikTok Videos

7. Clubhouse

Let’s start with Facebook groups. That's probably even how you came to learn more about me or the podcast, but a Facebook group is where someone shares adoption opportunities or allows you to share your profile. Those are the types of groups that I'm talking about when I talk about Facebook groups. 

The next would be pretty obvious that would be Facebook or Instagram posts. When I say post a meaning outside of those groups, I do not mean when it comes to an adoption opportunity. And you're posting against that’s different. That would be what the content I would bucket under Facebook groups, Facebook or Instagram posts would be the actual post on your profile pages in particular, as a place that an expectant parent could go to learn more about your family.

Then next would be Facebook or Instagram stories. You think of this just kind of the day in this person’s life because they're temporary. They're things that go away. But it is really important to us, especially when you're in conversations with someone to get to know you a bit better. 

The next one would be specific to Instagram; it is called reels. So think about reels from a short-form video, just so that someone could get to know you and call it 10 or 15. Second clips, right? Not something very long, but just enough to create a little bit of intrigue, a little bit of mystery maybe, or just basically make that desire to want to click in and learn more about you by looking at your Instagram feed. 

Next would be Instagram TV. This is a bit longer, where you can share a couple of minutes worth of video. And it is something that allows someone to begin to create that first emotional connection with you. And really, I'll talk about video holistically at another time, that video is the way that someone can begin to make that kind of connection with who you are because they can hear you, they can see you, they get a real glimpse of your daily life or life in that moment of that video. So video is powerful. 

When it comes to new social media platforms, there is TikTok and Clubhouse.  Let’s talk about TikTok first.  It is primarily a video-driven platform where people make silly videos, so it might not feel like a fit on the surface for adoption.  And I know maybe some of us are quite ready to enter the Tik Tok craze, and maybe aren't quite into creating those like dance videos, or you know those types of things. You don’t have to be there and do that if it isn’t your jam! However, it is a great place to start a conversation in a lighthearted way and then get them to get to know you better on another social media platform. 

Finally, Clubhouse is that kind of the latest social media platform that has come out, and I just really don't feel like it's a place where expectant mothers are hanging out at the moment. Now, could that shift over time, for sure. But clubhouse to me right now is more of a conversation, especially in the business space or in the motivation space. 

If you aren't familiar with Clubhouse, think of it as a live audio podcasting slash education opportunity where people host talks, I kind of think of it as like a TED talk meets a masterclass meets a podcast. Typically, someone you know creates an event where they will talk about a particular topic, and they share kind of their thoughts or their presentation on the subject. They invite either panelist who was pre-planned to share their thoughts or information with the audience or invite audience members up to have a conversation about that particular topic. To me, it just doesn't feel like the right fit for sharing your adoption profile at this time. Maybe if the platform, you know, kind of morphs or changes over the next few months, perhaps that'll feel a bit different. But for now, I just don't think so. 

The point in sharing all of the information about each of these different platforms is that they each and their tactics serve another purpose with your intended audience. Oh, and let me stop on that marketing word for just a minute, tactics. That's just a fancy way to say the different things within that social media platform. So Facebook is a social media platform. And a Facebook group is a tactic within that platform. I know marketing speak. But listen, it all goes together and will make total sense the more we talk about it. And that's important. 

I always have you covered, right? I’m always going to walk you through it step by step. So don't worry, I promise, you will be just fine. We will work through this together. The real point here is to ensure that the content is fit for the platform and the tactic. So you want to make sure you are sharing something that somebody will want to read, watch or spend time with. And for the love of all that is holy, please do not share your PDF in a PDF form on that particular platform. 

I see all the time in those Facebook groups where people share adoption opportunities. Someone takes a PDF and posts it in there like their way to have a conversation with an expectant mother.  Okay, let's just for A second, let's just have some common sense about this. I know this is judgy. And I'm just going to go right in for it. And you guys know, I typically don't judge. But let's just think about it for a second. How easy is it for you to even read that on your phone? Because most people are on social media on their phone, right? So you're on someone's group, right? And they're sharing against a particular opportunity. They're sharing their post, and you come across a PDF? 

Well, first of all, do you even want to click on that? I mean, because it's just, you know, a picture of the PDF, right? And so, if you click on it, it's probably too small for you to see anything of real value out of it. And then when you start zooming in to try to read it, it's blurry, right? Because someone's taking a screenshot of a darn PDF and put it on there. Sorry, this one just really gets me a little angry and hot under the collar. Can you tell? Because it is just kind of disrespectful. 

It's disrespectful to the expectant mother because how in the world could they get to know those people any better, and it is just kind of rude to themselves. They could do so much better. Okay, I know, I'm sorry, super judgy. And I usually like to keep all that stuff like filed way back there in the back of my brain. But this morning, I guess it just came out. I'll put this soapbox away, sorry, if I hurt anybody's feelings out there. But come on, we can do better together, and I promise we can. 

Alright, so I will dig deeper into each one of those tactics and be successful in Facebook groups versus Instagram posts and all of that in that upcoming training. But just for now, remember that each of them serves a different purpose. But the combination of them that is what is super important. The one last thing that I think is important about a digital version of your profile is video. 

Video has a unique ability to connect with expectant parents and a whole new way. And if I brought any more training into this episode, I think it could probably just get super overwhelming. So we're going to talk about that soon. But I just want you to hear from me that video is super important. And it's not super important that it be super polished like I've spent 1000s of dollars on the video because that is not important to her.  Of course, she probably wants to see a video in there that's professionally produced and gets to know you in a different way or a different level. 

She also wants just the like off the cuff, I grabbed my phone, and I took a video of something fun we're doing together.  This is great content to be on your profile to help her get to know you. So maybe it's sitting over on your Facebook or Instagram page, right. And then you have another more professionally produced video that you can share differently or share with her privately or share on your website. And again, I know the idea of video may make your heart skip a beat or even sink. But I want you to know, again, I've got you covered step by step. We’ll go through that in training, and I’ll walk you through it can be super, super-duper easy. 

I promise this can be easy and not cost you 1000s of dollars, you know that is not my jam. My jam is to make your adoption easier, faster, and more affordable. And we'll walk through how to make your website and your video, and all of those things fit precisely that bill. Okay, so there you have it—the one zillion reasons why your adoption profile isn't just a PDF or a book. 

I know that we've covered a lot of stuff in this post, and I know it was likely too much for you to capture the very first time you've read it. But don't worry, we have a whole series where we're going to focus on your adoption profile. We're going to talk about how you go from having a good to a great profile, even if you have an existing profile. And I'm even going to sneak in that live training or two if you're in the Facebook group. You never know when I might just go live and answer your questions. 

Most importantly, I just want you to know that I'm here to help you. So drop me a message in the Facebook group and let me know where you're stuck. Let's work through it together. Listen, friend, the last thing I want you to do is sit there and struggle alone. That's not my jam. I want you to feel supported. I want you to have community; I want you to learn from the lessons that I learned, the lessons that our community members learned, and the biggest lesson I learned to get stinking support like that. It's just so important, and get free training when they're available.

I know you're tired of waiting, and you're ready to take action. And that's precisely why I've created these podcast episodes and blog posts to do and why we've created that free training that will be available later this month. And why I have a Facebook group is because I know you're ready to move forward, push back, whatever invisible roadblock is standing in front of you, and get to your goal. 

Remember, anything is possible with a plan and support. You can do this, and I've got your back!

Hi, I Am Amanda

I help women build their families through adoption by giving them the step by step guide to adopt a child and support them on their journey