Social Marketing and Suicide Prevention

This is a video that I created which demonstrates how to use social marketing in suicide prevention. 

Social Marketing focuses on convincing people to want to adopt a specific behavior. While many might not think that suicide prevention involves behavior change, it definitely does. The thing is, it doesn't necessarily involve changing the behavior of the suicidal person, but instead focuses on the behavior of those who might come in contact with that suicidal person.

Learning the signs of suicide, being aware of local resources, knowing how to ask someone if they are suicidal, being a friend to a bullied youth, reporting bullying, and knowing what you can do if someone you know is suicidal are all examples of behaviors that you can try to get people to adopt through the use of social marketing. Campaigns can build around convincing people to want to know the warning signs and can also provide suicide prevention training. Social Marketing campaigns can also target the suicidal person through messages designed to increase their comfort in asking for help from family and friends or in calling the suicide hotline.

Social Marketing, if used correctly, can definitely be a great way to prevent suicide. If you want to learn more about how to apply social marketing to suicide prevention, be sure to watch the above video.