Harnessing Social Media to Boost Behavioral Health Awareness Among Youth and Young Adults (Ages 16-25)

Mar 22

Client: DC Department of Behavioral Health - Transitional Age Youth

THE CHALLENGE

Youth and young adults across the US, including Washington DC, are facing an escalating mental health crisis. Rising levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness, particularly among Black, LGBTQ+, and female-identifying groups, have underscored the need for urgent action. To address this, the DC Department of Behavioral Health’s Transitional Age Youth (TAY) team engaged Market Me Consulting to create and launch a targeted social media strategy that raises awareness about behavioral health, substance abuse, and available DBH services.

OUR SOLUTION

To combat this mental health crisis, we crafted a multi-faceted social media strategy designed to reach and engage young adults in a relatable, authentic way. The key elements included:

Research & Planning: Conducted comprehensive research on youth mental health challenges through interviews and focus groups with young adults in DC.
Staffing & Training: Recruited and trained a youth social media apprentice, ensuring the strategy was informed by authentic insights into the lived experiences of transitional-age youth.
Social Media Profiles: Launched new Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) profiles tailored to youth and young adults.
Content Creation: Developed and posted weekly multimedia content, including videos, graphics, stories, and downloadable print collateral.
Reporting & Toolkit: Delivered monthly reports highlighting key results and designed a toolkit to empower DBH to manage the accounts moving forward.

RESULTS

Reach & Awareness: Generated over 2 million impressions, significantly boosting visibility for DBH’s behavioral health initiatives among youth.
Engagement: Secured 145,000 engagements across platforms, helping connect many young adults to essential mental health resources and social services.
High Engagement Rate: Achieved a 7.4% engagement rate, seven times higher than industry standards, reflecting deep community engagement and interest in DBH services.

Through strategic planning, authentic content, and a youth-led approach, we effectively raised awareness and drove meaningful engagement, helping address the mental health challenges faced by DC’s youth.

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