Paraquad
All paths lead to independence
Since 1970, Paraquad has been a champion of equity and independence for people with disabilities. Through services, partnerships, education and advocacy, it works toward an integrated society where disability is viewed as a natural part of human diversity.
Independence is never one-size-fits-all. Instead, it carries a different definition for each person.
CHALLENGE
If you’ve driven down Highway 64 in St. Louis, you’ve probably seen a sign for “Paraquad” sticking out next to the Science Center. Many people with disabilities consider it a home away from home — where they find support, connection and strength. However, without a St. Louis content strategy, the brand was not achieving the regional visibility it sought.
SOLUTION
Paradigm drew on its experience in marketing for nonprofit organizations to increase Paraquad’s brand awareness before the launch of a 2025 capital campaign. We ultimately devised “All Paths Lead to Independence,” a multi-channel campaign centered on a world of possibilities.
Whether independence means strength, social connections or direction in life, our nonprofit content marketing asserted that Paraquad makes every goal attainable.
SEO Strategy
Paraquad offered a breadth of services, but none were easily discoverable for users who had not yet heard of the brand.
Its website needed to reach more people with disabilities and their families. In response, we implemented an SEO strategy focusing on relevant, attainable keywords related to their core services — from adaptive fitness to employment services.
Then, we broadened the scope. Our team established a robust St. Louis content strategy of four blogs a month. Each covered a different path to independence, allowing us to add more service-related keywords to the website and target additional traffic each month.
“To be able to market and brand a mission, you have to be able to feel it — beyond what’s on a piece of paper. That mission focus is imperative for a nonprofit, so I have really appreciated Paradigm’s commitment to embracing it.”
Melissa Brickey Senior Director of Advancement
Social Media
Paraquad’s strongest referral source is Facebook, where over 4,000 followers engage with its content.
Yet, with multiple social media platforms in use, Paraquad’s content had become disjointed. To address this, we worked to create a more consistent nonprofit content marketing approach.
Our St. Louis content strategy team started by redefining Paraquad’s content pillars to focus on advocacy, peer support, information referral, skills training and transitional services. This guiding framework ensured that content would focus on key services rather than fleeting trends.
Then, our copywriters crafted posts that spotlighted specific services or participant stories — demonstrating how Paraquad facilitates independence and urging others to join. Our designers supported each message with branded graphics that showed real people with disabilities.
Out-of-Home Advertising
Our strategy acknowledged that not everyone with a disability is a digital native.
Some may be more likely to engage with brands they see in their day-to-day lives. Our St. Louis content strategy needed to reach the places prospective participants pass every day.
Due to our experience marketing for nonprofit organizations, we knew location was everything. Our team ultimately designed and erected campaign billboards near high-traffic St. Louis locations or places similar to Paraquad, such as Goodwill — prompting an average engagement rate of 67.6%.
Landing page design + development
To complement out-of-home tactics, we created QR codes linked to campaign-specific landing pages.
Each page contained simplified messaging that introduced the Paraquad brand, its mission and its services. All elements of our nonprofit content marketing, from colors to font sizes, were ADA-compliant to ensure access for all Paraquad participants.
Through segmentation, we measured the effectiveness of our St. Louis content strategy, funneled traffic back to the original site and encouraged contact form submissions.
By the Numbers
-
67.6%
average billboard engagement rate
-
51.7%
increase in total website users since the launch of the multi-channel campaign
-
22.3%
increase in donation traffic within months of launching the multi-channel campaign