Outreach & Paid Media for Vaccination Campaign

South East Alaska Regional Health Consortium
Paid Media

Issue

SEARHC, one of the largest Native-run health organizations in the U.S., serves as the primary healthcare provider across 27 remote communities in Southeast Alaska. With limited road connectivity and a high dependence on air and water travel, vaccinating the region’s population against COVID-19 was both a logistical and public engagement challenge.

In anticipation of the FDA’s approval of COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020, SEARHC launched an urgent campaign to educate residents, drive vaccine sign-ups, and ensure equitable access to vaccinations. Given the region’s geographic barriers, high respect for elders, and strong sense of community, SEARHC needed a targeted and culturally relevant media strategy to maximize outreach and participation.

Goal

  • Drive vaccine sign-ups and ensuring vaccine accessibility in 27 rural and tribal communities.
  • Develop and implement a multi-channel paid media strategy to educate residents about vaccine safety and availability.
  • Leverage digital and community-based outreach to combat misinformation and encourage community-driven vaccine uptake.
Solution

JSR Strategies executed a comprehensive outreach and paid media campaign, integrating hyper-local messaging, digital engagement, and community-focused strategies to ensure maximum participation.

Strategy 1: Internal Outreach to Healthcare Providers
  • SEARHC’s Chief Medical Officer incorporated vaccine updates into frequent briefings for hospital and clinic staff.
  • A series of 53 caregiver updates and 33 Incident Command System updates informed staff about vaccine safety and distribution sequencing.
  • Conducted an internal provider survey, finding that 87% of doctors, nurses, and staff wanted to be vaccinated, establishing a strong foundation for public trust.
Strategy 2: Public Education and Community Engagement
  • Framed messaging around community values—protecting elders and family members.
  • Created a dedicated COVID-19 vaccine information page (covid19.searhc.org) updated in real-time with vaccine facts, FAQs, and appointment sign-ups.
  • Deployed targeted social media and paid digital ads on Facebook and Instagram, sharing key vaccine updates.
  • Hosted Facebook Live “Lunchtime Chats” featuring SEARHC’s Chief Medical Officer answering community questions (one video garnered 2,600 views and 190 comments).
  • Partnered with local newspapers and radio stations for print and broadcast ads emphasizing vaccine safety and availability.
Strategy 3: Paid Media and Sign-Up Tools for Vaccine Registration
  • QR codes linked to vaccine sign-up pages were placed in print ads, grocery stores, and clinic flyers.
  • Paid social media ads and Google display ads targeted residents by location and age group to drive sign-ups.
  • Launched the “Assist Your Elders” campaign, encouraging younger family members to help seniors register for vaccinations.
  • Conducted direct elder outreach, calling senior patients to assist with registration.
  • Set up community vaccine clinics, adapting to storm-related logistical challenges using seaplanes and tour boats for vaccine deliveries.

Outreach

SEARHC Marketing and Digital Services desktop video into
SEARHC Marketing and Digital Services desktop video Dr. Bruhl
SEARHC Marketing and Digital Services flyer
SEARHC Marketing and Digital Services BPOTS flyer
SEARHC Marketing and Digital Services mobile social media post

Results

SEARHC’s strategic outreach and paid media campaign successfully increased vaccine adoption, helping Alaska lead the nation in per capita vaccinations. Key outcomes included:

High Vaccination Uptake:
  • In the first five weeks (Dec. 17–Jan. 21), SEARHC administered 9,888 vaccinations, covering 14.8% of the region’s population.
  • Vaccine sign-up rates surged following targeted paid ads and outreach efforts.
Website & Digital Engagement:
  • The covid19.searhc.org page had 23,899 views and 38,016 sessions during December and January.
  • The site added 12,013 new users, demonstrating the campaign’s impact in reaching previously unengaged audiences.
Social Media & Paid Media Performance:
  • In the two months prior to vaccine delivery, SEARHC’s COVID-19 social media campaign generated:
    • 83,367 impressions
    • 11,856 engagements
    • 453 shares
  • Social media response to vaccine-related posts was overwhelmingly positive; for example, a Facebook post about the first vaccine deliveries reached 12,755 people and received 1,139 reactions, comments, and shares.
Earned Media & Public Relations Impact:
  • From Dec. 10, 2020–Jan. 21, 2021, vaccine-related news coverage reached a total audience of 1,390,586.
  • Earned media coverage generated $136,888 in publicity value.
  • SEARHC’s COVID-19 efforts received 77 mentions nationwide (source: Critical Mention).
83,367
Social Media Impressions
23,899
Page Views
9,888
Vaccines Administered
$136,888
Earned Media Publicity Value

Jessica is a consummate marketing strategist. She was instrumental in the development of the brand strategy for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium… helping us become the market leader.

In working with her clients, Jessica is professional, easy to work with, focused, bringing creative solutions, willing to ask the tough questions in a way that they can be heard, …all within the boundaries of the determined budget.  In handling difficult relationships within the client company, she always does what is ‘right’ for the client ensuring to accomplish the marketing objectives.

Jessica has a keen sense of how to accomplish the marketing message while understanding the company’s values, mission and vision, and political realities.

Dan Neumeister

Senior Executive VP, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium

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