Information and Referral: Social Marketing and Health Communications

The UCP national office and its affiliates spend a good deal of time and effort conducting outreach and communicating mission, messages and health information to the media and general public. There is an art and science to effective communications and a growing body of literature on effective social marketing for health and human service related programs.

Simply put, health communication is the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health. (National Cancer Institute)

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Fourth Annual National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media. This year's theme was Convergence: Purpose, Programs, & Partners. The fields of health communication, marketing and media are converging with distinct sciences, methodologies, and technologies merging into a unified whole.

We can use the principles of effective health communication to plan and create initiatives at all levels, from one brochure or website to a complete communication campaign. The following resources can help you develop, implement, and evaluate your communication campaigns.

• CDC's Health Marketing Portal
• Health Communications Basics
• Making Health Communications Work

Related UCPeople postss:

• Creating Effective Health Information Materials 
• Building Social Marketing into Your Program