Celebrate and Connect

16 Unique Ways to Leverage Your Behavioral Health Organization’s Anniversary

You already know that one of the factors that helps a behavioral health organization gain its audience’s trust is its longevity. Whether that’s a year or a decade, it’s a meaningful milestone and one that can help you draw attention to your services. Below is a list of fresh ideas for connecting with this important audience.

We’ve compiled a list of 16 ways to use it to your advantage. They’re ideas, strategies, and tactics that have proven to be successful time and again for organizations looking for fresh ways to connect with their audience.

Download a copy of “16 Ways to Leverage Your Business Anniversary” today. And keep in mind that you don’t have to wait for a “big” anniversary (5 years, 10 years, etc.). Every year in business is a reason to celebrate your shared success with your clients, customers, and audience in general.

Download the behavioral health organization anniversary checklist

16 Ways to Capitalize on Your Organization’s Anniversary

1: Develop an Anniversary-Specific Version of Your Logo

Modifying an existing logo to recognize your organization’s anniversary is easy. For example, you could add verbiage like “Celebrating XX Years of Serving Our Community.” And, of course, while the anniversary of your founding is a particular date, it’s perfectly acceptable to promote the anniversary for an entire year! This is also a great opportunity to make slight alterations/updates to your organization’s logo/branding in a smooth and natural way.

2: Change Your Email Signature and Website

After creating your anniversary logo, add it to your email signature and display it prominently on your website. Email programs typically let you include both a .jpg image and stylized text in your email signature. Decide on the most eye-catching and engaging way to recognize the anniversary, and then have everyone in your organization use the same signature. If you want to elevate your brand even further, have custom email signatures executed by a professional team so that the presentation of your anniversary logo is presented perfectly regardless of the device your emails are being read on.

3: Create an Anniversary-Themed Virtual Background

Updating physical items like your business cards or letterhead can be cost-prohibitive. But modifications are fast and affordable in the digital world! A virtual background for your Zoom or Microsoft Teams app that features your anniversary logo is a great way to spread awareness and start conversations.

4: Update Your Invoices, Letterhead, and Other Materials

Most documents are shared electronically today, and adding your anniversary logo to your letterhead is a quick and cost-effective way to promote the fact that you’re celebrating. You can also add the logo to the footer of invoices, sales receipts, etc.

5: Create Anniversary Stickers

It may surprise you, but after doing many anniversary campaigns we have found that almost everybody loves stickers! They’re a low-cost and versatile medium for promoting your anniversary. Stick them everywhere: envelopes, marketing collateral, employee workspaces, office swag, client gift baskets, etc. You can also give them away at community engagement events and let the community spread your brand for you.

6: Develop Historical Graphics and Collateral

Nothing drives home your longevity like historical infographics, commemorative books, timelines, etc. You can distribute these materials from your website, blog about them, print them, hand them out at in-person events, or publish them on social media. It’s an engaging and memorable way to generate buzz about your anniversary.

7: Host In-Person or Virtual Anniversary Events

Invite your referral sources, vendor partners, and employees to celebrate your anniversary with you. You’ll need to start planning an in-person event at least three months in advance to ensure you have time to select a venue, arrange catering, book entertainment, make a guest list, create and send invitations, etc. Virtual events require less work, but planning is still needed.

Great in-person celebrations:

• Open house at your location
• Partner-appreciation picnic
• Evening cocktail party or gala
• Private event at a local business (movie screening, golf outing, axe throwing, bowling tournament, etc.)

Fun virtual celebrations:

• Online gathering through Zoom or another meeting platform
• Mailed gifts or gift packs
• Virtual open house with attendees sent food and beverage gift cards
• Online game or competitions
• Virtual charity event (food drive, online auction, etc.)

8: Email Marketing/Social Media Campaign

Invite stakeholders via email or social media to participate in interactive activities. This could be trivia from the year your organization was founded, submissions for a “Top X” list of some kind (where X is your years in operation), etc. You can also share memories from your organization’s history, photos of employees from “back in the day,” and so on.

9: Seek Press Coverage

Rather than a bland press release that may not get much (if any) coverage, take a more creative approach to generating some publicity. For example, you could select X charitable organizations or initiatives to which you will donate $XXX each in celebration of your anniversary. That’s a more newsworthy story and one that demonstrates your generosity.

10: Distribute a Printed Card or E-nnouncement

Treat your anniversary like a holiday and acknowledge it with a mailed or emailed greeting card. Many online services can turn a standard email into a beautiful, customized greeting card. Of course, the old-fashioned approach of sending a card in the mail is still a nice touch.

11: Launch a Print or Online Ad Campaign Focused on Gratitude

Drawing attention to your anniversary in print or digital ads while simultaneously thanking the community for supporting you through the years is a win-win.

12: Underwrite a Radio Program or Podcast

Underwriting or sponsoring a segment on public radio like NPR, local talk radio, or a podcast is an affordable way to make a large audience aware of your organization’s anniversary. You’ve probably heard something like this many times: “Programming supported by [organization name], celebrating XXX years of serving area residents.” Many underwriting or sponsorship opportunities are flexible and can span a day, week, or month or run throughout your anniversary year.

13: Anniversary-Focused Page or “Call Out” on Your Website

Your website is an easy (and free) place to share your anniversary logo, history, photos, timeline, etc. Tweak your website to put your important milestone front and center and generate interest in your company’s background.

14: Outreach and Promotions

Develop a charitable campaign that relates to your mission and the number of years you’re celebrating. You know, “For every $100 donation, we’ll plant a seedling honoring a family that has used our services.” This approach creates tremendous goodwill and may provide some nice visuals for use later if the “thank you” takes physical form. You may even get some media coverage from this type of program.

15: Create Time-Sensitivity

You can promote your anniversary while encouraging people to use your services with a message like, “We’re celebrating our fifth anniversary. Don’t let another year go by without seeking the treatment and support you need.”

16: Recognize Your Team

Be sure to acknowledge that you wouldn’t have reached this milestone without the contributions of your team members, present and past. You might consider giving current employees a small bonus that ties into your years in operation. Or maybe the money goes to a charity of their choosing.

You can also create some anniversary swag and provide it to your team members. Everyone loves a t-shirt, tote bag, or mug, and the items can help generate awareness for many years to come. You might also coordinate a special event for your employees—lunch (in or out), an in-person or online happy hour, etc.
Bonus Idea: Install a Physical Representation of Your Organization’s Longevity.

An anniversary is also a great opportunity to install some physical representations of your organization’s impact, longevity and permanence in the community. This could take the form of a statue of an important community member who has a connection to your organization, a plaque memorializing your team or, our personal favorite, a history wall telling the story of your organization and serving as an excellent way to teach community members, donors or partners about your organization’s history and impact.

Bonus Idea: Install a Physical Representation of Your Organization’s Longevity.

An anniversary is also a great opportunity to install some physical representations of your organization’s impact, longevity and permanence in the community. This could take the form of a statue of an important community member who has a connection to your organization, a plaque memorializing your team or, our personal favorite, a history wall telling the story of your organization and serving as an excellent way to teach community members, donors or partners about your organization’s history and impact.