🧠Marketing Strategy Case Study: How We Helped a Black-Owned Behavioral Health Practice Stay Visible, Connected & Growing Through Crisis

Tab Wolod
May 28
3 min read

Updated: Jun 6

📬 40+ Partners Reengaged • 2,000+ New Facebook Followers • Outreach Campaigns That Kept Mental Health Top of Mind

Client Snapshot

Parker Psychiatric Services is a Baltimore-based behavioral health agency offering therapy, medication management, and psychiatric rehabilitation services — all at no out-of-pocket cost for Medicaid clients. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, their mission to provide accessible, culturally relevant mental health support became more urgent than ever.

🚧 The Challenge

IEI was contracted to lead community outreach efforts and partner relations when COVID hit, and country shut down. In-person outreach and community events were no longer an option. Parker needed to pivot quickly — not just to maintain operations, but to build trust, grow visibility, and continue connecting with families who needed support more than ever.

CLIENT CHALLENGES
1. Lack of visibility
Unclear brand messaging and offerings
Inconsistent community and partnership engagement

🔑Our Approach & Key Deliverables:

We designed and implemented a comprehensive marketing and outreach strategy from the ground up—including:

💌 Partnership Email Outreach to reengage community orgs and lead sources
🗓️ Monthly Email Newsletters to nurture and inform past and potential clients
📲 Consistent FB + IG Posting to build awareness and trust during uncertain times
📢 Paid Facebook Ads to increase visibility and service sign-ups
🧾 Wraparound Wellness Mailer Campaign to connect underserved families with no-cost therapy and support

Key Deliverables Included:

📈 Outreach Strategy & Community Engagement

Reimagined in-person outreach into digital and email-based campaigns
Re-engaged or secured 40+ community partnerships and lead sources
Created branded pitch decks and outreach collateral that secured new contracts

💻 Social Media Growth & Engagement

Increased Facebook audience from 200 to over 2,000 followers organically
Launched consistent, brand-aligned content tied to key mental health themes
Facilitated a Facebook Live series featuring clinicians and community advocates

🧠 Brand Development & Visibility

Refreshed brand voice and visual identity
Supported production of a commercial to raise awareness
Helped onboard 50+ clients through optimized intake messaging and calls to action

🗣️ Campaign Focus: "Wraparound Wellness Program" and “Stop the Stigma”

Led messaging strategy for a culturally resonant campaign addressing mental health in Black communities
Promoted holistic, wraparound services for Medicaid clients

As A Result Of Working With Us, Our Client Experienced Big Wins:

💬 10x growth on social media (200 → 2,000 followers)
🏥 50+ clients onboarded during a time of limited in-person access
🤝 40+ community partnerships re-engaged or newly formed
🧾 Brand materials used to secure ongoing partnerships and state-funded contracts

Campaign Assets:

🔍 Reflection & Key Takeaways:

Working with Parker Psychiatric Services at the height of the pandemic was both a challenge and a calling. We were brought in during a time of crisis — when mental health needs were surging, but access and outreach were collapsing. Our work helped lay a foundation for how behavioral health organizations can show up with clarity, compassion, and culturally relevant messaging, even in uncertain times.

This partnership offered us deep insight into the realities of scaling impact within health systems, navigating internal leadership dynamics, and advocating for strategic communications as a vital part of service delivery.

Key Takeaways:

Strategy must be paired with capacity and leadership alignment to truly be sustainable.
Storytelling and community trust are critical assets — especially for services that affect people’s well-being.
Even short-term partnerships can create long-term ripple effects in visibility, systems, and service delivery.

IEI remains committed to showing up with integrity, adaptability, and vision — especially in sectors like behavioral health, where the stakes are deeply personal.