Behavioral Healthcare Marketing: Suddenly it’s All About Your Website
It’s been a year full of trauma.
The unmet need for behavioral healthcare that was already spiking before the pandemic has accelerated. And more: it’s changed in other foundational ways.
We’ve seen accelerated or new rates of mental distress among parents, especially women, young adults, people of color, and many other parts of the population.
Strikingly, people are far more than ever turning to the internet to seek help.
So how can you help prospective patients find you?
Marketing for behavioral health is simply that. It is outreach, sensitive to your prospective patients’ needs and issues.
And your patients, overwhelmingly, are online. To attract and retain them, your practice will need to be there too, in a compelling and valuable way. You’ll need to employ digital marketing. Your practice needs to be present online in the places frequented by your prospective patients.
Today, in short, that starts squarely with your website.
We thought some basic Q&A would help cast some light.
Behavior Healthcare Marketing put simply: how to help patients find you. And discover whether there is a match.
“Prospective patients today turn to the Internet when they are looking for mental health care.* Even word of mouth referral is followed by a visit to your website. ”
Why is your website critical to your behavioral healthcare practice?
Prospective patients today turn to the Internet when they are looking for mental health care.* Even word- of- mouth referral is followed by a visit to your website. The same goes for a patient consulting their payer’s database of providers. Their next stop: your website or maybe your Facebook or other social media page.
But it’s more than a matter of attracting new patients. The engagement of existing patients also rests in part on a strong online connection with you. The stakes: patient retention, and, ultimately better outcomes.
What is “patient-sensitive marketing” for mental health?
Marketing in healthcare is a matter of making it easier for people who need help to find you. And helping them decide whether there is a match.
Great website content for behavioral health is sensitive to the way prospective patients express themselves and explain their issues.
A behavioral marketing specialist must discover this language, and the self perceptions of patients in order to connect with them. We call this “patient-sensitive marketing.”
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is a range of outreach, advertising, and education using online channels. It can mean blog posts, and email newsletter, video, webinars, and much more.
Which of these channels, and what kind of message? These are questions which good digital marketers address by research. Digital marketing for behavioral healthcare can only be effective when based on this research.
What is SEO for behavioral healthcare?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the science and art of making sure that the website for your practice is prominent on Google and other search engines.
SEO takes many forms, and helps shape even the style and content on your website. It is generally a long-term proposition, months or more before its results are evident.
But visibility on Google is an aim that cannot be ignored.
With websites, build it… and they won’t come… unless you show up on Google.
IN SHORT
A compelling website, and powerful online presence strongly contribute to:
Attracting new patients
Patient engagement in their treatment
Patient retention
Better outcomes
This should not be surprising, even if it is relatively new in behavioral health. The fact that people so readily connect online has transformed every part of our society. Behavioral healthcare practice is surely not the exception.
Interested in digging deeper? Talk to an expert.