Substance abuse is a complex public health issue that leaves many of today’s community organizations struggling and overwhelmed. With more Americans dying each year from drug overdoses than motor vehicle crashes, there’s a huge need for policy and communication teams to affect change at the local level. However, too often tight budgets lead to generalized messaging and outreach tactics. While initially appealing, the approach of reaching as many people as possible often lacks the message tailoring strategies needed to elicit behavior change. Developing an effective communication strategy can be challenging for anyone, especially community organizations working with limited planning and implementation budgets. This presentation is an excerpt of the full training and provides an overview of the key steps in developing a substance abuse communication strategy. For more from Digital Edge Communications, visit our website: www.digitaledgecommunications.us

1. Developing a Substance Abuse
Communications Strategy on a
Tight Budget
When Every Word Counts
Erin Norvell
Executive Director,
Society for Health Communication &
Founder & Principal Strategist,
Digital Edge Communications
@eedgerton

2.
Digital Edge Communications 2
ALL
COMMUNICATION
WORK BEGINS
WITH
IDENTIFYING
YOUR PRIMARY
AND SECONDARY
AUDIENCES

3. TIGHT BUDGETS OFTEN LEAD
TO GENERAL MESSAGES
60%
70%
Digital Edge Communications 3
BUT THIS IS A MISTAKE

4. Digital Edge Communications 4
IN TODAY’S
CROWDED MEDIA
LANDSCAPE, WE
ONLY PAY
ATTENTION TO
THE MESSAGES
WE CONSIDER
PERSONALLY
RELEVANT

5. ELABORATION
LIKELYHOOD MODEL
Central
Route
(message
elabora3on)
• Is
the
message
personally
relevant
to
me?
• Am
I
able
to
process
the
message?
• What
biases
do
I
have
that
will
affect
how
I
process
this
informa3on?
STRONG
ATTITUDE
CHANGE
Peripheral
Route
(no
message
elabora3on)
• What
exis3ng
cues
do
I
have
to
help
me
process
this
informa3on?
WEAK
ATTITUDE
CHANGE
Source:
Richard
E.
Pe1y
and
John
Cacioppo
Digital Edge Communications 5

6. COMMUNICATION AS A PROCESS
01
Target
audiences
02
Communica<on
goals,
tac<cs
and
channels
03
Content
development
&
refinement
04
Dissemina<on
&
engagement
05
Implementa<on
&
evalua<on
Digital Edge Communications 6

7. TARGET AUDIENCES: USER-
CENTERED DESIGN PRINCIPLES
• Recognize
that
results
depend
on
making
your
users
(target
audiences)
happy
• Recognize
that
you
are
not
your
users
• Learn
about
your
users
by
interac3ng
with
them
• Make
the
findings
of
this
research
understandable
and
ac3onable
• Make
decisions
based
on
this
user
knowledge
Source:
Steve
Mulder
&
Ziv
Yaar.
The
User
is
Always
right.
Digital Edge Communications 7

8. You are NOT your audience.
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9. Personas
put
a
face
on
user
research
and
translates
data
and
insights
into
beZer
user
experiences
and
beZer
websites.
Specifically,
data
should
determine:
• What
to
create
• How
it
works
• What
you
say
• What
it
looks
like
TARGET AUDIENCES: PERSONAS
A
persona
is
a
a
fic<onal
person
who
represents
a
target
audience.
Digital Edge Communications 9
Source:
Steve
Mulder
&
Ziv
Yaar.
The
User
is
Always
right.

10. TACTICS: SETTING
COMMUNICATION GOALS
1. Raise
awareness
for
the
community
helpline
and
increase
calls
from
parents
by
20%
2. Connect
parents
with
one
another
to
build
social
support
networks
and
encourage
ac3on
among
peers
1. Increase
the
use
of
community
resources
by
teens
who
are
struggling
with
substance
abuse
2. Connect
teens
with
social
support
systems
that
increase
their
self-­‐
efficacy
in
breaking
their
dependence
on
substances
1. Empower
teachers
to
take
an
ac3ve
role
in
mentoring
and
social
support
ac3vi3es
Digital Edge Communications 10

11. TACTICS: PLAN FOR
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Channel
Audience
Rela<onship
(We
are
a…)
Content
Frequency
Facebook
Parents
of
teens
ages
15-­‐18
struggling
with
substance
abuse
issues
Suppor3ve
friend
that
helps
mo3vate
you
to
take
ac3on
Mo3va3onal
messages,
specific
ac3ons
to
take,
resources
to
learn
more
Post
3
3mes
per
week,
review
comments
daily
Email
Teachers
and
coaches
at
local
high
schools
Collabora3ve
partner
that
helps
you
do
more
for
your
students
Campaign
materials,
toolkits
and
resources
Monthly
email
with
planning
calendar
and
resources,
respond
to
emails
within
two
days
Digital Edge Communications 11

12. Calls-­‐to-­‐ac<on
make
it
clear
to
the
user
what
you
want
them
to
do
next.
• Use
calls-­‐to-­‐ac3on
to
connect
your
content
across
channels.
• Use
plain
language
principles
(i.e.
first
person,
direct,
concise).
Many
of
the
best
calls-­‐to-­‐ac3on
are
a
single
word.
• Tailor
your
call-­‐to-­‐ac3on
to
your
audience(s).
• Ensure
the
call-­‐to-­‐ac3on
looks
clickable.
• Give
your
call-­‐to-­‐ac3on
a
prime
loca3on,
repeat
as
needed.
CONTENT: CALLS-TO-ACTION
Digital Edge Communications 12

13. IMPLEMENTATION: TRACKING
PROCESS MEASURES
1. Are
we
making
progress?
• Map
metrics
to
your
communica3on
goals
2. Are
our
numbers
good?
• Compare
yourself
to
yourself
over
3me
What
metrics
reports
should
tell
you:
Digital Edge Communications 13

14. STRATEGY BEFORE TECHNOLOGY
Digital Edge Communications 14

15. The
Society
for
Health
Communica3on
is
a
member-­‐driven
organiza3on
bringing
together
health
communica3on
professionals,
students,
and
scholars
from
all
of
our
diverse
areas
of
teaching,
research
and
prac3ce.
www.SocietyForHealthCommunica<on.org
JOIN THE SOCIETY TO CONNECT WITH OTHER HEALTH
COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONALS

16. Erin Edgerton Norvell
@eedgerton linkedin.com/in/eedgerton
ENorvell@DigitalEdgeCommunications.us
www.DigitalEdgeCommunications.us
www.SocietyforHealthCommunication.org