Pathways to
Independence
Campaign
Pathways to Independence (PTI) is a nonprofit organization that provides daily support for neurodivergent youths and adults through safe, accessible activities. PTI empowers participants to develop social, interpersonal and communication skills, fostering lasting connections and helping them overcome everyday challenges.
THE PROJECT
When Pathways to Independence expanded its services into St. Charles County they turned to Magnetize for a campaign to generate awareness and deepen engagement with their programs. We developed a marketing plan and targeted campaign that positioned PTI and its programs as accessible and easy to engage. We also provided tools to help the PTI team enhance their organic social media and experiential marketing efforts, enabling more individuals and families to connect with the support they need.
Messaging strategy
Guided by the brand positioning work we did for PTI a few years ago, as well as new discovery work in St. Charles County, we mapped out a strategy for the new campaign. This led to three core messaging platforms to define how and why PTI is important for neurodivergent people and their families in St. Charles County. From there, we created campaign themes inspired by the ideas of belonging and accessibility.
- Our Core Platforms
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Belonging: We want participants to find their “people” within Pathways and build lasting relationships in which they can be themselves.
Confidence: One of our goals is for participants to have the confidence to live independently, with the assurance they have a community behind them.
Support: Our program provides guidance, resources and opportunities to participants so that they can safely grow outside their comfort zone. - Find Your People
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The campaign headline “Find Your People” came directly from sample language we developed to support our messaging strategy’s core platforms. This headline encompasses all three of them because finding your people means finding a place you belong, enables confidence and reflects the support system you have as the result of being part of a community.
- Easy as 1, 2, 3
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We wanted the campaign to be approachable and friendly, and that meant using simple and direct language that guides prospective participants and their families in clear ways. This reflects the fact that PTI is there to guide and support anyone involved with their organization, and also makes sure that calls to action and necessary instructions are easy to understand. Joining a new group can be scary; understanding how doesn’t have to be.
Becoming part of the community
By creating new events, and aligning with existing events in St. Charles County, PTI has established a sense of presence there. To ensure synergy between our campaign and the events and marketing managed by the PTI team, we created a toolkit with easy-to-use templates and messaging framework. This cohesive approach further enhanced the presence of PTI in the community.
Let the programming speak for itself
Our campaign used a show-don’t-tell approach, with marketing that educated audiences about specific community needs; shared examples of PTI programs in action; and provided proof of impact.
Find your People: Inspiring Ambassadors
PTI programming builds individual independence and confidence. To bring this to life our campaign featured “graduated” participants and loved ones to serve as ambassadors of the organization and living proof of the impact of its programs. PTI shares these stories on social media and encourages the people featured to share the content, thus empowering them with a sense of pride and widening PTI’s social media presence.
Awareness through search phrases
We used commonly searched keywords and phrases to meet people “where they are” when searching for resources near them. We geotargeted within St. Charles County, to reach people there who need PTI services the most. By focusing on local relevance, we increased visibility and engagement with those searching for nearby support and resources.
Pathways to Independence is committed to helping neurodivergent people thrive. Magnetize created a campaign to help them find each other in St. Charles County.
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