There’s always more to a person than what you can see. When you work to help people in your community along their wellness journey, their mental health should be given the same attention and support as their physical health.
The power of community connection as a healthcare provider can’t be overstated. Every person deserves to feel confident that their care will come from people they know and recognize in their everyday community, whether passing them on the street or seeing them at the grocery store. As a healthcare provider, setting up mental health awareness events shows your community that you’ll be by their side during some of the hardest moments in their life.
Planning mental health awareness events gives you the opportunity to inform your community about relevant concerns, engage with them face-to-face and build trust for a solid patient-provider relationship.
Read on to learn about the importance of these events as a provider and how to go about planning one. We’ll also discuss how to use the event for content to boost your digital marketing metrics.
Why mental health awareness events matter for providers
Building credibility as a provider is important for both your relationships with other professionals as well as the patients you’re serving. Mental health awareness events put you in a position as a trustworthy source for insight about the specialized field and can lead to a boost in your reputation.
When we talk about mental health awareness, one of the main goals is to break the stigma surrounding mental health conditions. By creating events discussing symptoms of conditions that affect millions of people, you’re also showing people that they aren’t “weak” or “broken.”
When you create a space for open dialogue, you’re sharing the message that mental health is just as important as physical health, and it deserves the same amount of resources and support.
These events are also a way to connect with potential patients to boost acquisition and brand awareness. Even though the focus should be on sharing education and showing support, it’s still a way to expand the reach of your services.
Choosing the right type of event
Once you decide that you want to plan a mental health awareness event, it’s time to dive into the details. Here are a few factors to consider when trying to figure out what exactly the event should look like:
- Target audience
- Available resources
- Location
- Accessibility options (virtual, in person, hybrid)
- Goals of your practice (education, patient support, brand awareness)
Don’t just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. When it comes to planning something as impactful as a mental health-centric event, take a look at user behaviors on your site and use that as data to inform your decision. If it seems like you get a lot of engagement on blog posts geared toward parents with teens experiencing depression, then a panel discussion on back-to-school anxiety is something to consider.
Mental health awareness ideas to consider
Events for important medical concerns, like mental health awareness, can take many different forms. The good news is that all options give you the chance to boost your reputation and patient acquisition while still providing education. You’re also giving attendees a space to connect with one another for peer support.
If you’re unsure about which approach you want to use, here are a few ideas that may spark inspiration:
- Workshop or seminar (e.g., mindfulness techniques, practical coping strategies)
- Support group or panel discussion about a niche topic
- Community walk/run as a fundraiser or in support of a particular awareness month
- Wellness fair that connects you with other community providers
- School or workplace outreach that’s tailored to the specific population concerns
- Virtual Q&A session or webinar that focuses on evergreen topics
It’s also possible to mix and match ideas. For example, you can have a panel discussion about a specific topic that’s followed by a workshop that branches off it.
Using content to promote your event for maximum impact
When the goal of your event is to spread awareness about the importance of mental health treatment, you have to start by spreading awareness about the event itself. Consider the following promotional strategies that you can test out through your content creation efforts:
- Partnerships with local providers and influencers (guest blog posts, social media)
- Eye-catching visuals on social media
- Blog posts discussing the ideas that will be covered at the event
- Email newsletters to current or past patients
Even though this type of content is meant to boost attendance at the event, it can also be created in a way that provides long-term traffic and conversions. For example, if you write a blog post about the importance of medication management for major depressive disorder, that information will continue to be relevant long after the event is over.
Creating content after the event
Just because your event is over, that doesn’t mean that the impact it had on your metrics is over as well. It’s possible to use the event to create content that will continue to drive traffic, engagement and conversions.
By documenting your event before, during and after, you’re able to boost your online visibility and brand awareness. Even if a person wasn’t able to attend the event, seeing content related to it will help your name to stick out in their mind, which can come in handy when they’re ready to seek mental health treatment.
Here are a few ways to keep the momentum going after the event:
- Blog recaps
- Photo galleries of attendees, activities and staff
- Video snippets of educational segments
You can also repurpose the event content, such as informative pamphlets or interviews with experts, into new pieces of content. You can restructure the content of the pamphlet into a downloadable resource on your site that people can keep referring back to. You can also post a video or transcript of an interview.
Want to attract new patients to your website? BURG+CO. can help as you plan a mental health awareness event
Getting involved in your community can be a positive for every part of your life, and it’s especially valuable for you as a healthcare provider. By spending time in community spaces and meeting your neighbors, you can learn about what resources people are searching for and the most relevant concerns that might not be getting enough attention.
Changes to the local schools can bring a lot of anxiety for parents and students alike. Or perhaps a beloved town staple closed down and people are experiencing grief for the memories they had there. But by connecting with your community and helping to spread awareness through engaging events, you can support collective well-being and highlight the importance of prioritizing mental health.
At BURG+CO., our team can help you market your event through content, as well as create evergreen blog posts based on the event topics. We understand the life-changing impact of mental health treatment, and we would love to partner with you to help people work toward becoming the best version of themselves.
Our team has years of experience in helping healthcare brands improve their digital presence to attract new patients and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more potential patients to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help.
Want expert support with your digital marketing? Connect with BURG+CO. today to explore how we can help your healthcare brand grow.