"Gen Z doesn’t want to call. They only want to text."

You have probably heard a similar sentiment before. This belief may even be built into your pregnancy center's follow-up protocols and communication strategies. Many pregnancy center leaders have understandably assumed that if a young woman is abortion-minded and searching online, she will almost certainly reach out through text. However, the data tells a more nuanced story.

Yes, Gen Z often prefers texting in everyday situations. But when it comes to reaching out about a potential abortion decision, their behavior isn’t quite the same. In fact, the biggest factor influencing how someone reaches out is what options they’re given and where those options appear.

What the Data Actually Shows

Based on more than 27,000 abortion-minded contacts generated through our Google Ad campaigns over the past 12 months, here is the breakdown of lead submission types:

• Calls: 15,608 / 56.4%

• Form Submissions: 7,277 / 26.3%

• Texts: 4,757 / 17.2%

Even when multiple contact options were available, texting was the least chosen method of outreach.

So why is this?

There are a few reasons actually. First, many Google campaigns use what’s called a “click-to-call” asset. This creates a “Call Us” button that appears directly on the ad before the lead ever lands on the website or landing page.

Once someone does arrive on the landing page, placement matters more than anything. On the pages used in the example above, the buttons are placed right next to each other, allowing visitors to choose whichever option feels most comfortable in the moment.

If you only place a “click to text” button on the page, many people will choose to text simply because it’s the only option available. But when you offer multiple ways to reach out, all of them will be used, and calls may actually become the primary method.

What does this mean for my pregnancy center?

We suggest each center include multiple ways for visitors to reach out on your pages, such as phone calls, text messaging, contact forms, chat widgets, and direct booking options. It’s a good idea to have as many contact options as possible, letting the woman decide which method feels most comfortable for her. Offering several communication channels allows each person to choose the approach that feels safest and most accessible in the moment. Then, after you’ve collected a decent number of leads, you’ll be able to analyze how people are primarily choosing to contact you.

Example Scenario

Start by looking at your raw lead numbers to see which contact options are used most often.

• Total Leads: 200

• Calls: 50

• Texts: 20

• Forms: 30

• Chat Widget: 40

• Direct Booking: 60

Next, look at how many of those leads actually scheduled or showed up for an appointment.

• Total Appointments Scheduled: 127

• Total Appointments Showed: 54

• Calls: 30 Booked / 20 Showed

• Texts: 10 Booked / 6 Showed

• Forms: 7 Booked / 3 Showed

• Chat Widget: 20 Booked / 15 Showed

• Direct Booking: 60 Booked / 10 Showed

In this example, direct booking produced the most leads (60) but only resulted in 10 appointments, which is a 17% conversion rate.

Calls, on the other hand, generated slightly fewer leads (50) but resulted in 30 appointments, which is a 60% conversion rate.

This kind of data changes how you shape your marketing, and how you staff your center.

Instead of guessing what Gen Z prefers, pregnancy centers can prioritize the outreach method that actually produces real appointments.

That usually means keeping all options available, and designing your pages to promote the highest producing call to action.

It’s also vital to have a system that allows you to track all of your lead types in one central place. This helps you avoid tedious, manual work and ensures data accuracy.

LifeLead: All-in-One Communication and Reporting Software

With clear lead tracking, communication channels, and reporting, your center can finally identify what’s working and focus your time and resources on the strategies making the greatest impact.

Interested to learn more about how this could make a difference for your center? Explore LifeLead Features Here