Reaching Youth Who Have Questions About Their Sexual Behaviors Through a Social Media Marketing Campaign: A Case Study and Cost-Outcome Evaluation

Abstract

Most self-reported victims of child sexual abuse are harmed by peers or known older youth. Among youth who cause harm, the average age of first-time sexual perpetration is between 11 and 16 years. In this study, we describe the creation of a social media campaign strategy to engage young people with questions about their sexual thoughts, behaviors, or interests in US-based helpline services. The campaign consisted of eight youth-focused advertisements to promote awareness of the WhatsOK.org site and helpline services. Advertisements were posted to Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. We examined the success of the campaign in reaching and engaging young people (as measured by impressions, reach, and engagement) as well as the advertisement cost to accomplish each across as a 26-month study period (October 2021 to December 2023). The campaign was viewed over 8.2 million times by over 6 million young people. Advertisements were clicked or swiped over 100,000 times with an overall ratio of clicks to views (click-thru-rate) of 1.26%. Most (79%) of the 76,766 WhatsOK.org website users came directly from clicked advertisements. The cost of reaching young people through advertisement is relatively low, with impressions (i.e., views of an ad) averaging < $.01 USD each and clicks/swipes (i.e., engaging with an ad) averaging $.22 USD. Advertising cost to yield a single ad-linked web user was $.38 USD. This study illustrates that young people with concerns about their sexual interests and/or behaviors can be reached via social media advertisements and these advertisements can be effective drivers of help-seeking behavior. Support in reaching young people who may benefit from the resource from social media platforms will be critical to the success of prevention programs serving these youth.