IEPA is a non-profit international network for researchers and organisations involved in the study and treatment of the early phases of mental health disorders. With its origins in early intervention in psychosis, IEPA enhances awareness of the early phases of mental health disorders via communication and collaboration between a network of international stakeholders. It is domiciled in Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, in Melbourne.

IEPA connects researchers to share research, build relationships and forge new partnerships with the goal of channelling knowledge, expertise, funding and data to improve outcomes for people with mental health disorders.

With members in many different nations, each making contributions to research that ultimately improves or saves the lives of children and their families, but with limited investment to support dialogue, IEPA knew digital communication was important. Not only would it bring members together, it would accelerate the achievement of health outcomes.

IEPA and its partners needed to bring sophistication and focus to digital communications in order to attract new members, foster online engagement, and attract delegates to flagship biannual conferences.

Ellis Jones’ health and ageing team initially developed a social media and content marketing strategy before executing across social platforms, tailoring content to each platform.

After the assessment of available analytics, a member study was completed to map and segment member content needs and preferences, social media use, information sources and perceptions.

This study informed the development of a website and eDM by the Ellis Jones design studio. A contemporary design was produced, surpassing web accessibility guidelines.

All page content was optimised for search (SEO) and a Google grant was secured for free search engine advertising (SEM).

A focus on member acquisition drove content. Our team worked closely with IEPA to surface research findings, profile leading researchers, align content with key sector milestones, and promote the flagship conference.

IEPA dramatically increased its reach and engagement, membership and conference attendance.

Monthly analytics reports and tactical recommendations rapidly improved understanding of online behaviour among the IEPA team resulting in focused activity that achieved increasing return on investment.

Key outcomes include:

• The Boston IEPA 11 conference recorded 908 registrations representing $497,569 in ticket sales
• Engagement rates on Twitter increased from 1.0% to 4.0%
• IEPA was mentioned in relevant Twitter conversation 855% more than the established KPI
• Website traffic increased by 79% year on year
• LinkedIn followers increased by 73% and Twitter followers by 43% year on year

The Ellis Jones team also adapted quickly to global meeting and reporting requirements, ensuring key stakeholders and funding partners were engaged and retained.