Strategies for Effective Communication with Members Eric Foster, AM, CADC VP Substance Abuse Policy and COO Illinois Association for Behavioral Health

Illinois Association for Behavioral Health 60 Provider Members Delivering Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Primarily Public Policy and Advocacy Driven Recent change in association name and mission, from solely addiction services to both Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (Behavioral Health)

Association Cont’d Run Two Statewide Alcohol and Drug Prevention Programs Operation Snowball Inc. (OS) Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute (CGTI)

Communication platforms Phone and email – Individual & Groups Weekly Member Update News Letter – Membership Quarterly Membership News Letter - Membership News Blog (www.ilabh.org/blog)- Public Website – Public and Member specific Social Media - Global

In the Beginning… How many of you have a personal Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media account? My Personal Experience with Social Media Joined Facebook 2009 Linkedin and Twitter 2010 Instagram 2014

Why Social Media? Increase our Association foot print and ability to connect with other stakeholders on topics related to Mental Health and Substance Use Decrease Delays in Dissemination of Information by providing a platform for real-time reporting of Association activities. Author IABHs experiences through written, image, and video content;

Real-time Dissemination

Why Social Media Cont’d Establishing and Maintaining Association Relevance on issues related to budget, service delivery, social issues, research, and public policy Share information with IABH members and community stakeholders, state and federal legislators, media outlets, and the general public. Drive traffic to our organizations’ programs, websites, events, and activities, by sharing information that incites conversation.

Paying to Boost FB posts

IABH Social Media Presence Facebook – 2010 Similar Branding, Advertising, Scheduling and promoting events, pushes information to Twitter. Multi-media content (images, video, text) Encourage personal FB friends to interact with organizational page https://www.facebook.com/ilabh/

IABH Social Media Cont’d Twitter Page 2008 & 2015 An access point for news and real-time reporting from meetings hearing and events Association mission expansion to include advocacy of mental health issues, we established three separate twitter pages Association page: @IABH_1967 VP Substance Use: @VpSUD_IABH1967 VP Mental Health: @VpMH_IABH1967

IABH Social Media Cont’d Instagram 2015 Primarily a mobile platform sharing Images and video content related to Association Activities Association page: @IABH_1967 New Association Website: www.ilabh.org Updated and relevant with current platforms Incorporate Social Media in to the site Similar color scheme and use of logos Advertising - Non-dues revenue

IABH Prevention Programs OS and CGTI Website: www.os-cgti.org 2 Twitter accounts @CGTI12 @OperSnowball 2 Facebook pages @CebrinGoodmanTeenInstitute @OperationSnowbalInc 2 Instagram @CG_TI @OperationSnowball

Things to Consider Personally and professionally participate in social media; Must be willing to share content If social media is a priority, then be willing to invest time in the development. Is there a policy in place that dictates the use of social media during work hours? Does the policy support the goal of increasing use of social media?

Things to Consider Cont’d Decide who is going to manage the social media for your organization? Ensure that there are checks and balances in place. Who is your target audience and does it match with the use of social media? Is content relevant and interesting to the target audience; learn the tricks of the trade.

QUESTIONS???