Digital marketing may be the single most effective way of growing your rehab center.

If you’re still an online holdout, or if you’re treating digital marketing as more of an experiment than anything else, it’s helpful to take an objective look at what you’re missing out on.

This page provides you with facts and real-world examples that point towards one conclusion: you need to get in the digital marketing game if you want to remain competitive and relevant in the world of rehab.

It’s perfect for the rehab industry

People tend to seek out rehab centers when they’re in need of one. Digital marketing channels like search engine marketing speak directly to that model of patient acquisition. Potential patients will frequently search for “rehab centers in [their immediate area],” and click through to the first few results.

If you prepare for this through proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work, your website will be one of the first that’s displayed on the search engine results page. Essentially, if you put in the SEO ground-work, your website traffic, visibility, and leads will grow exponentially as your website climbs the search engine results.

The best part about how SEO works is that it doesn’t require any direct communication with or convincing of individual customers. All you’re doing is making their search for a rehab center easier by ensuring your center will be ready and waiting to inform and treat, whenever they decide to search for one.

The numbers speak for themselves

In Sept 2012, Google and Compete conducted a comprehensive “Treatment Center Study” in order to “understand what influences an addict’s decision to get treatment and, ultimately, how they choose a treatment center.”

Here are some key statistics from the report:

• 86% of patients used search prior to scheduling appointments
• Online matters to potential customers:
  • 88% of patients used search engines when researching potential rehab centers
  • 76% of patients referred to treatment centers’ websites when researching
• 53% of patients visited 2+ treatment center sites before converting
• Patient leads who find rehab centers through online searching are twice as likely to convert as non-searchers

These numbers really put the effectiveness of digital marketing into perspective. The first statistic alone should light a fire underneath your SEO efforts – failing to have a strategy in place means you could be missing out on as much as 86% of all potential patients seeking rehab and treatment facilities.

Your competitors are already doing it

If you don’t believe us, go to Google and search “rehab centers in [your area].” The first few pages will likely be full of different rehab centers, and we’re sure you’ll recognize the names of more than a few direct competitors.

This is one case in which doing something just because others are doing makes a lot of sense. How can you hope to compete with other treatment centers if you’re not even tapping into the same (enormous) market that they are?

The good news about digital marketing, however, is that you’re not necessarily at a large disadvantage for getting started later than others. If you put in the upfront work necessary for effective digital marketing, you’ll be competing with the best of them before you know it.

Where to start

Your website

The point of nucleation for digital marketing is your website. If you don’t have one yet, look into web design and development services so that you can be up and running ASAP.

Even if you do have a website, it’s important to make sure it’s up to date, stylish, and functional. After all, your website is essentially the public face of your rehab center. It needs to inspire trust in any potential clients.

SEO

Search engine optimization is the bread-and-butter of most digital marketing strategies. Organic search won’t dry up anytime soon, and good SEO work guarantees a steady flow of traffic to your site regardless of the successes/failures of other marketing endeavors.

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

PPC advertising is fairly self-explanatory: you put out advertisements, but you only pay when users actually click on them. The PPC model is great for smaller budgets and larger budgets alike.

Social media

People prefer businesses that show a human, personal side. Social media is the best way to do this, as it puts you in direct contact with current patients, past patients, and potential patients.

Social media also refers to any and all review-style sites, which the majority of potential customers refer to extensively before selecting a rehab center.

Start digital marketing today

The categories above are a very general representation of what digital marketing has to offer. No matter the needs of your treatment center, there will always be a digital marketing solution that addresses them perfectly.

While much of this can be done on your own after some reading and experimenting, it can be extremely helpful to hire a digital marketing agency to do the work for you as well. Check out our post on how to find the perfect digital marketing agency for your rehab center for more information.

We happily offer up our own services, as well. We’re a full-service digital marketing agency, and we’ve lead many successful online marketing campaigns for rehab center clients across the country. Our expert team of Internet marketers would love to help you and your business achieve the same success.

Feel free to contact us today for more information or a free quote!