Strategic Communications
Recommendations
The NAMI National Convention (NAMICon) is among the most prominent community gatherings by mental health professionals and advocates in the United States. Each year, NAMICon inspires and connects individuals looking for resources, support, recovery strategies, and research in the sector. NAMICon 2020 will converge on July 15 to July 18, 2020, in Atlanta to celebrate the convention’s 40 years of advocacy, support, and education.
A. Targeted Publics
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The mental health profession is among the most developed sector in the U.S. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 750,000 counselors in the country (2019). The statistics note that 32 percent of the mental health professionals are school counsellors, 25 percent psychologists, 19 percent, counsellors, 6 percent psychiatrists, and 4 percent marriage & family therapists. Moreover, there are about 564,094 females (74 percent) and 198,196 males (26 percent) working in the mental health profession. The white ethnicity represents about 71 percent of the counselors, whereas 19 percent and 2 percent represent black and Asian races percent, respectively (U.S. Census Bureau 2019). In addition, the median age of mental health professionals is 41.7 years. Notably, the most common education specialized by the counselors includes Psychology, Social Sciences, Public Administration and Social Service, and Human Sciences.
The most common sector that employs mental health professionals in the U.S. is secondary and elementary schools with about 170,000 advocates. Other industries include outpatient care centers (132,000), Individual and family services (128,000), higher educational institutions (119000), and hospitals (41000). The average annual salary of the mental health counsellors is about $43,700, which is distributed evenly among the professionals. The table below presents the distribution of mental health advocates in the U.S.
| Mental Health Counsellor | U.S. Total |
| School Counsellors | 243450 |
| Social Workers | 109220 |
| Mental health Counselors | 145700 |
| Psychiatrists | 45210 |
| Marriage and Family therapists | 29780 |
| Psychologists | 188930 |
| TOTAL | 762290 |
B. Strategic Communications Objectives
The primary objective of this communication is to enhance stakeholder engagement during NAMICon 2020. Thus, NAMI seeks to inform about 30 percent of the mental health professionals on the significance of peer services, support, research, and networking in the mental health profession. The communication will present the counselors with the achievements made by NAMI for the past four decades. The rationale from the communication is to offer abundant networking opportunities for mental health advocates to learn from peers on new methods of improving the lives of the patients. In addition, communication will provide a comprehensive report of NAMI’s findings on mental health patients.
C. Strategic Communications Tactics
NAMI will incorporate two tactics to achieve the primary communication objective. First, the organization will design an event website that details the significance of attending NAMICon 2020. According to Wagner, sites present an opportunity for organizations to broaden the audience, communicate brand experience, analyze the active audience, and to answer relevant questions (607). Second, NAMI will incorporate social media and email to increase awareness of the convention. The tactic will involve composing messages that Mental Health supervisors will share with their team members through Facebook, WhatsApp, and email. Gruner and Damien (92) argue that social media allows easier peer communication of professionals, which is significant in increasing brand awareness. These tactics will assist in guiding the achievement of the communication objective.
D. Strategic Communications Strategy
The creative strategy statement for this communication is “NAMI: Counsellor Networking. Get Advice, Support, and Ideas”.
Mental health professionals in the U.S. face several challenges that hinder their service delivery to clients. The purpose of the communication is to inform on the NAMI conventions that help the counselors in strengthening business connections, getting fresh ideas, and advancing their careers. Notably, NAMI includes top-notch clinicians and researchers that promote mental health advocates advance in their profession. In addition, the counselors will gain a different perspective in dealing with the daily challenges, which is key to building confidence.
E. Production Timetable
| Placement Date | Communication Type | Outlet |
| Mar-20 | Print Newspaper | Washington Post |
| Mar-20 | Television Adverts | NBC |
| Mar-20 | Radio Adverts | WLTW-FM 106.7 Lite FM |
| Apr-20 | Digital and Social Media | Google Ads |
| Apr-20 | Print Newspaper | Washington Post |
| Apr-20 | Television Adverts | NBC |
| Apr-20 | Radio Adverts | WLTW-FM 106.7 Lite FM |
| May-20 | Digital and Social Media | Facebook, Twitter, Instagram |
| May-20 | Print Newspaper | Washington Post |
| May-20 | Television Adverts | NBC |
| Jun-20 | Digital and Social Media | Google and YouTube Ads |
| Jun-20 | Print Newspaper | Washington Post |
| Jun-20 | Television Adverts | NBC |
F. Media Contact List
| Media Outlet | Contact | Job Title | Phone number | |
| Washington Post | Jacquelyn Cameron | VP, Leadership and Global Sales | Jacquelyn.Cameron@washpost.com | 202-334-9098 |
| NBC | Jeff Marshall | Vice President, Digital Ad Sales | Jeff.marshall@nbcuni.com | |
| n/a | support@google.com | 1-866-246-6453 | ||
| YouTube | YouTube | n/a | adsupport@youtube.com | |
| WLTW-FM 106.7 Lite FM | Andes Joseph | VP, marketing | adsupport@iheartmedia.com | 1-844-289-7234 |
| n/a | support@facebook.com | |||
| n/a | support@twitter.com | |||
| n/a | support@instagram.com |
Works Cited
BLS. “CES National Benchmark Revision – Detailed Industry Tables.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/ces/publications/benchmark/cesbmart18-tables.htm.
Gruner, Richard L, and Damien Power. “To Integrate or Not to Integrate? Understanding B2B Social Media Communications.” Online Information Review, vol. 42, no. 1, 2018, pp. 73–92.
U.S. Census Bureau. “PUMS Documentation.” The United States Census Bureau, November 8 2019, census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/pums.html.
Wagner, Timm, et al. “Framing Social Media Communication: Investigating the Effects of Brand Post Appeals on User Interaction.” European Management Journal, vol. 35, no. 5, 2017, pp. 606–616.