Over the last few years, there has been an uptick in people searching for mental or behavioral health services. The online movements that encourage people to speak openly about issues they’re facing have made some feel better about asking for help.
While this shift in societal perspective is great, there is now a huge disparity between behavioral health professionals and people in need of help. Often, people searching for support may not know what to look for.
So, with the rapidly growing industry and people looking for your services, it’s time to jump on the trend. Here’s a guide on why now is the best time to invest in digital marketing and how to do so effectively.
Are you not sure where to start with your marketing plan? Learn how Beacon Media + Marketing has helped mental health professionals create an effective marketing strategy.
Why is There Behavioral Health Market Growth?
Several factors can contribute to why there has been a rise in behavioral health market growth. As stated previously, the societal acceptance and push for help have left some feeling more comfortable seeking help.
Another factor has been a reaction to the pandemic where some may have realized issues they were dealing with, or it arose during that time. No matter the reasoning, it’s clear that the industry has faced tremendous growth and is seemingly continuing to rise.
The market’s growth was seen with an 11.3% rise in 2020. It was projected that the behavioral health industry would grow from USD 77.62 billion in 2021 to USD 99.40 billion in 2028.
Many people with behavioral health issues such as substance abuse, alcoholism, or eating disorders also face mental health problems. So even if someone may not know to look for behavioral health services, mental health professionals may lead them in that direction.
According to a 2017 study, over 15% of American adults have at least one behavioral health disorder. Despite this large number of people diagnosed with a behavioral disorder, only 14,6% of adults had used mental health services in 2013. This is a significant disparity in people receiving help for their disorder.
So how can you help close that large disparity? Marketing your behavioral health services to make yourself available to the public is the best way.
What Are the Benefits of Marketing Your Behavioral Health Services?
Choosing to market your behavioral health services is a big step in growing your practice, clinic, or facility. It’s a way to bring brand awareness to those who may need your services. When you’re marketing, it works to connect you with potential clients.
Although connecting with people that you can help is the main highlight of marketing, you have a few other benefits. The following are some of the benefits you can get when effectively marketing your behavioral health practice.
1. Gain Clients
The most notable benefit is the growth you’ll see in gaining clients. Most people associate marketing with a way to get new clients or customers for your service or product. It’s a way to create brand awareness that will bring in people looking for the services you are providing.
2. Hire New Staff
When you’re gaining clients, you’re growing in a way that may need more staff on your team. Marketing your services can help you find qualified candidates to fill positions and help more people in your area. The income you may receive can help fund the expansion as you offer more help in your community.
3. Open Other Locations
Another great benefit to marketing your services is that when you’re gaining new clients, you’ll be able to open other locations. It benefits you as you see more clients seeking your services, and you’ll be another option for people in other areas. Most people look for services in the area they live near so that you can provide excellent health care to more people in need with more locations.
4. Expand Your Services
Hiring new staff or opening up new locations allows you to expand your services. Right now, you may only be able to help people with substance abuse, but with more behavioral health professionals on your team, you can provide more services. You can look forward to offering more services to your community so people have every facet of help that they may need available to them.
5. Get Qualified Leads
If you’re effectively marketing and have an updated website with all your current services, it can help separate the people who don’t need your help. People should easily tell which services they can get with your practice, clinic, or facility all online. This will lead to fewer phone calls and more success in treating current and new clients.
Do you need help creating a marketing strategy? Learn how Beacon Media + Marketing can help you.
How to Take Advantage of the Behavioral Health Market Growth
A few ways to gain new clients with little marketing, including a therapist directory listing. However, this will only be so effective.
Many people search online for their mental or behavioral health services. They may occasionally use a recommendation from their primary physician but typically go online to find what they’re looking for.
In other words, you need to ensure that your behavioral health practice, clinic, or facility is SEO-optimized. It will help make you a top search result, and one of the first resources people look at.
So, what marketing elements should you add to your strategy? The following are a few ways to utilize marketing to reach your target audience and gain new clients.
1. Website
Your behavioral health website should be updated with all current services, locations, contact information, and any other information people need to know. When your website reflects the current state of your practice, clinic, or facility, it ensures no confusion about the services you may provide.
It’s also suggested that you’re transparent about what people need to know. This can include whether you take insurance, which is a big concern for many.
You should also ensure that your website design is up to date. When websites look old, people are less attracted to your practice and may leave the site at a high rate. So, create a website design that is appealing and also reflects the brand of your behavioral health practice.
2. Local SEO
One of the most important elements that you need to include in your marketing strategy is how well you’re hitting local SEO. It’s essential to have this since many searches for services near their area.
A way to show up for local searches is by enrolling the physical location of your practice, clinic, or facility into Google My Business. When people search for behavioral health services, the location of your practice will appear at the top of the search. It will also include an information card with your hours, address, contact information, and peer reviews. If you’re an online-only service, you won’t be able to use this function and should consider other methods of hitting SEO goals.
Another way to have excellent local SEO is to include city or state names on your website. When they’re included in your website’s headers or subheaders, it flags the search engines as a possible result for what someone is looking for. Even including the location names in your blogging can help boost the local SEO of your practice.
3. Blogging
Blogging can be one of the best ways to reach your target audience. Your blogs can be a resource for people that are looking for help.
When they search for a specific question regarding your behavioral health specialist, you can answer those through blogs. Your blogs will be a way for people to get educated and see that you’re an outlet for receiving help.
Another benefit to blogging is that people will see the educational aspects and see that you’re a qualified professional that can help them. You can also use blogs as a way for people to learn more about your practice, clinic, or facility.
4. Social Media
Social media can be one of your biggest marketing tools. People can use it to promote their brand or show people more about themselves.
For your practice, clinic, or facility, there are a few key elements that you should focus on with your social media, including:
- Consistent branding
- Educational videos or posts
- Getting to know you
- Promotion of brand and events
Using social media is a great way to reach a new audience that you may not otherwise. If you’re providing quality content, people will be more likely to like and share it with others, bringing in more brand awareness.
Why Should You Use a Behavioral Health Marketing Agency?
Hiring a digital marketing agency is a great way to put the focus back on your clients. We know that marketing is time-consuming and needs much attention. But the work that you do as a behavioral health practitioner is essential for helping those in your community.
When you choose to get help with your marketing, it’s a way to prioritize the work that you’re passionate about. You won’t need to use as much time and effort when trying to gain new clients and expand your practice, clinic, or facility.
Beacon Media + Marketing should be your first choice when hiring a behavioral health marketing agency. We often work with health care professionals that see an improvement in their practice through their brand and new clients.
At Beacon Media + Marketing, we can provide several services that you can choose from. Some of our services include blogging, social media, paid ads, branding, graphic design, website design and development, SEO optimization, and video production.
With our help, your practice can reach new levels of community support. We’ll take care of the marketing while you help those in need of behavioral health services.
Are you ready to see how Beacon Media + Marketing can help? Get your free consultation!
