Why is Online Marketing Important for a Drug Rehab Facility?
With more and more people using the internet to find information and research products and services, online marketing has become extremely important for any business, be it small or large. Why? It is possible to reach a global audience with digital marketing platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads.
A drug rehab facility needs to consider how they will market themselves online before they even think about offline marketing, because a lot can go wrong without having a decent online strategy. Let us explore some of the ways in which digital marketing can help a drug rehab facility in their quest to find new patients.
Building a Brand
Every business, be it a drug rehab facility or any other kind of business, needs to build a brand for themselves. In today’s world, a brand is something that individuals associate with a company or business, in much the same way that they might associate a brand name product such as Tide or Purina with a specific company. For example, if you are a pet store that offers only pedigree dogs, your customers will most probably be familiar with the name “Pedigree,” because that is the brand name of the dogs you sell.
When it comes to building a brand for a drug rehab facility, it is extremely important to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. The first step is to become an expert in your field. To do this, you need to read widely and constantly seek out innovative ideas that can help your patients. You should also try to attend professional conferences and workshops, as these can often turn into fruitful learning experiences. Finally, it is important to get involved in your community; become a part of the scene and establish yourself as a go-to person for local business owners who are looking to improve their marketing. By doing this, you can begin to forge vital business connections that can prove extremely useful when it comes time to expand your operations or search for funding.
Once you have established yourself as an expert in your industry, it is then time to start thinking about how you will position your expertise in the marketplace. To begin with, you can use the brand name of your facility to find companies, businesses and governmental organizations that you can partner with to gain further exposure and build a profile of support for your drug rehab organization. For example, if your brand name is Blue Hickey Animal Hospital, you can partner with Blue Hickey Pet Food to gain exposure in the pet care industry. Similarly, if you are a rehab center that specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), you can use your brand name to find other companies that offer psychological services, such as a counseling or psychotherapy practice. By doing this, you can increase the likelihood of attracting the attention of those in search of your services, and forge mutually beneficial business relationships that can prove extremely beneficial in the long run.
Determining Product Mix and Target Audience
Once you have a clear idea of the kinds of services you will offer and the type of patients you will attract, it is time to start thinking about the products and marketing materials you will use to communicate your services to the public. Naturally, you will want to use marketing materials that are relevant and accurate, but you must also consider the financial capabilities of your average patient. Ultimately, you want to develop a marketing mix that suits the needs and resources of your target audience, be they individuals or businesses. For example, if you are a smaller, rural medical clinic that serves only the wealthy, it might be a good idea to partner with an insurance company that provides supplemental health coverage for patients with expensive medications or treatments. Alternatively, if your target audience is made up of average Joes looking for good quality supplements for their dogs, a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy might be the way to go.
Developing an Audience Strategy
Having determined the kinds of patients you will attract and the types of services you will offer, it is now time to develop an audience strategy. To do this, you will want to consider the demographics of your chosen audience, their psychographics (such as their likes and dislikes, and their behavioral patterns), and their digital footprint (such as the information they have shared online, either on social media or in blog posts). By doing this, you can craft a strategy that is uniquely suited to attracting your target audience to your website and engaging them in profitable conversations that can lead to action (e.g., patients, sales leads, etc.).
According to HubSpot Blogs research, people in the U.S. spent an average of 4 hours and 52 minutes per day on digital devices in 2018. Moreover, HubSpot Blogs found that people in the U.S. have an average of 13 devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and that nearly all (99%) of them use more than one device to access the internet.
Building a brand and establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry takes time, but it is absolutely worth it. The above information should provide you with a good idea of the challenges and opportunities that await you in the world of online marketing. For more information on how to build a brand for your business, consider reviewing the articles on our blog, How to Build a Brand, or watching our informative, award-winning webinar entitled, B2B Marketing: Building a Brand, Launching a Product, and Leading a Sales Team.