Mental health associations have often been accused of being marketing dinosaurs especially where the World Wide Web is concerned. Not so anymore.
For an industry burdened with showing absolute cost justifications for marketing programs, the Web is quickly being exploited as not only an exciting communications medium but a cost-efficient one as well. Within the last year alone, the Internet has exploded with hundreds of mental health sites - and the trend is far from slowing down.
Going online opens up a whole new world of networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities that many in this industry are just beginning to discover. Although the learning curve is steep, mental health marketers are fast becoming self-taught Internet experts for their associations.
NCCBH Takes Time-Sensitive Policy Info Online
Karen Zuckerman, assistant director of marketing and communications at the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH), the nation's oldest and largest community behavioral healthcare association, is a recent case-in-point. After surveying its membership organizations and finding that 90 percent of them were interested in NCCBH going online, Zuckerman soon realized that "not having a Web site was a real obstacle."
Once NCCBH management signed off on creating a site (http://www.nccbh.org) last year in March, the effort immediately became Zuckerman's baby.
Initially overwhelmed by the project, Zuckerman had six months to market NCCBH to members and consumers interested in mental health issues on the Net.
But after devising a basic content framework for the site, Zuckerman says the rest of the pieces came together with relative ease. "The biggest challenge was figuring out what we wanted to communicate online," recalled Zuckerman.
After deciding on the basic content, Zuckerman interviewed several design firms and received quotes ranging from $500 to $25,000 to create and maintain a site.
"I couldn't believe how wide the range was, but I learned to prioritize what features were most important through the interviewing process." Zuckerman says that checking references was crucial to her weeding out process of design firms and to her selecting Intervisage, a Silver Spring, Md.-based design firm that specializes in creating sites for associations.
Launched January 24, but mostly publicized at the beginning of April, NCCBH's Web site contains both public and "Members Only" sections that provide time-sensitive policy information, and membership billing and application features.
All of NCCBH's previously printed material (brochures, directories and newsletters) went online, providing an immediate savings of $5,000 for initial setup and maintenance.
At this point in its early development, Zuckerman says that the site, which generated about 450 hits in April and contains about 30 links to other community mental health organizations, is still "very much a work in progress." She is now looking into creating sponsorship opportunities to boost advertising revenues and providing interactive chat functions that will allow members to network online.
Site Brings Stronger Legislative Voice
Two years ago, the state of Colorado overhauled its public mental health policies with legislation that mandated capitation (flat fee for service) for all managed care providers, waging fierce competition between commercial and not-for-profit clinics, hospitals and agencies. For the Denver-based Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC), an umbrella organization that represents 19 state not-for-profit mental health facilities, this meant punching up its marketing efforts to compete with the for-profit sector.
The three-person staff knew that a Web presence would give their campaign a stronger voice to CBHC's target audience of decision makers, legislature and state agencies.
After forming an ad hoc committee of marketers from their membership, CBHC launched its Web site last August (http://www.capcon.com/cbhc). Stephanie Walton, CBHC's executive assistant, was responsible for implementing the committee's Web strategy and framework.
Walton outsourced the $2,000 Web project to their Denver-based PR firm, Hays, Hays & Wilson, Inc. (HH&W), electing to start conservatively and build on site features that were most successful. Initially, the site featured brochures about the successes of capitation for not-for-profits and its newsletter.
The page quickly became a timely resource for three-quarters of its members, constantly expanding to provide direct links to its members. This feature is a big plus for rural clinics that need greater state exposure.
Recognizing the tremendous potential of CBHC's site, Gary Chandler, director of public affairs for HH&W, envisions using the site to become more consumer-oriented. "Down the line, I see this site becoming a great resource tool for consumers with peer group chat rooms and information about mental health support services." (NCCBH, 301/984-6200; CBHC. 303/832-7594; HH&W, 303/860-0175)