In the recovery space, you need to earn your clients’ trust. And one powerful way to do that is through content marketing.
People look for treatment online, and their first point of contact is often your website. This is your opportunity to connect with your audience, build a relationship with them, overcome their barriers to treatment and demonstrate your ability to support their recovery.
But when you’re running a treatment center, you don’t have time to write, edit or manage a writing team. And even if content is a focal point of your marketing plan, you may not know where to start.
This comprehensive guide can help you understand why content is important, and how you can use it to drive your success. In it, you’ll learn:
Content marketing is a strategic form of digital marketing that entails creating and sharing written, video or audio content. A strong content marketing campaign has a clearly stated goal, such as:
Best practices for content marketing are constantly evolving. And today more than ever, the focus is on the audience. Here’s why:
In short, your audience needs honest answers to their questions. Good content empowers people to make better decisions.
Our job is to create valuable resources your clients can use to take real steps towards recovery.
Strong content is important in any industry. It helps potential clients understand who you are, and builds better relationships with your existing clients.
For rehabs, content marketing matters even more. That’s true for a few reasons:
Addiction treatment centers face unique advertising restrictions. Major platforms like Google, Meta and Bing require you to be LegitScript certified before you can publish any ads. Here’s what that means:
LegitScript is an organization dedicated to making the internet a safer place. To that end, they certify rehabs, affirming that your work is legitimate. They’ll review your licensure, your team’s credentials, your treatment process and so on. Once you’re certified, you’re able to run ads.
Even with a LegitScript certification, some platforms might be closed to you. For example, Google only publishes ads from rehabs in the US, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. If your treatment center is located elsewhere, it’s simply not an option.
Fortunately, paid advertising is only one piece of the puzzle. PPC ads might spark a reader’s interest, but what holds their attention? What turns them from a website visitor into a satisfied client?
The answer is: content that connects.
Rehab is a big commitment. Clients invest their time, money, energy and social capital into recovery. Before they sign up, they want to be sure your program is right for them. Even in the best of circumstances, your team has to overcome some very real barriers to admit someone to treatment.
By the time someone’s researching rehab, they’re probably in crisis. They know it’s time to get help, but they don’t know where to start. And on top of that, the stress they’re under makes it harder to think clearly or make good decisions. In this vulnerable place, it’s no wonder they have questions. And they deserve clear, helpful answers.
That’s where content comes in. Well-crafted content pulls back the curtain, showing your potential clients what they can expect from your program. And when rehab seems less daunting, they’re more in charge of their own recovery. With the information you provide, they’ll be better able to choose the path that’s right for them – and more empowered to start their healing journey.
In today’s world, people look for answers online. The information they find has a direct impact on their decisions about healthcare. Even before they start formal treatment, your content has the power to change the course of a reader’s recovery journey.
Targeted content can narrow the playing field. You’re not just looking for clients; you’re looking for the right clients. When your focus is too broad, admissions teams waste more time talking to people who aren’t a good fit instead of connecting with those who can benefit most.
By targeting a specific audience, you’ll attract more qualified leads. You can do this by being transparent about who your program is best suited for. So by the time a potential client talks to your admissions team, they’ll be more interested, better informed and more likely to enroll.
Successful businesses have clearly defined goals. In the recovery space, those goals can get pretty complex. That’s because your success is closely tied to your clients’ recovery outcomes.
A strong content strategy supports both your goals and your clients’. You can use it to connect with them in every stage of recovery.
Content makes you more visible, and makes each touch point with your audience more effective. This allows you to:
Content can also support treatment itself. These resources help your clients feel cared for during their time in treatment, throughout aftercare and as program alumni. Strategic content makes life easier by:
Healing doesn’t end when a client leaves your program. Great content equips them with the information they need to transition out of rehab safely. It can also turn satisfied clients into enthusiastic referrers.
Specifically, you can use content to:
An effective marketing strategy moves both you and your target audience toward specific goals. For you, that might mean growing your online community or admitting more clients. For your clients, it means healing.
Compelling content makes a measurable difference in readers’ lives. It offers a fresh perspective, inviting people to learn more about the recovery journey and what it has to offer. That understanding can bring them hope. It can also help them commit to the process.
Giving your audience actionable information also positions you as a thought leader. And by sharing content consistently, you nurture meaningful relationships with people who will become your clients.
At Hone, we center your readers’ needs, offering insight into addiction, mental health and the process of healing. In a space full of noise, we focus on value.
As a business that cares about its clients, your copy should embody your values. How you want clients to feel in your program is how they should feel when they visit your website. High-quality, client-focused content doesn’t just let you connect more effectively with your audience, it’s also rewarded with better search ranking.
At Hone, we approach content creation with empathy. With personal experience in recovery, our team addresses your audience as equals. We understand the urgency and nuances of your clients’ needs, and strive to empower them throughout their healing journey.
It’s all too common for rehabs to use unethical tactics, such as:
These tricks may get clients in the door, but they don’t support healing. Recovery scams can even be fatal.
At Hone, ethical marketing practices are non-negotiable. Your clients’ recovery journey is affected by every point of contact with you – and content can have a powerful impact on their experience.
Trauma-informed writing isn’t just a bonus. When you’re addressing addiction and mental health crises, it’s the baseline. Even for people without a prior history of trauma, these events are traumatic in and of themselves.
If a reader finds your content triggering, it could interfere with their recovery process. They probably don’t yet have clinical support – that’s why they’re researching treatment options. But if it’s just too painful to read through your website, your content itself becomes a barrier to treatment. And it makes them more likely to click away.
If your program is trauma-informed, your content should be, too. When it comes to readers with trauma, the right word choice can make a world of difference.
Hone’s house style guide includes guidance on trauma sensitivity. Our content empowers trauma survivors to take the next step toward healing, on their own terms.
Your ideal clients have certain things in common. They may share values and interests, or have a similar net worth. But no matter how comprehensive your buyer personas are, there’s always more to learn about your audience.
The most powerful content addresses a specific group of people without alienating any of them. Your clients might share an interest in yoga; that doesn’t mean they share a gender or ethnic background. If your content invalidates certain experiences, you run the risk of losing potential clients.
Hone’s content respects people of all identities. We engage in ongoing research and education, staying up to date on evolving language and best practices. With core team members based in cities around the world, we are always learning from our shared global community.
Our house style guide includes guidance on diversity and inclusion.
There’s more to telling your story than just sharing information. Because your program has a unique approach, your online presence should have a unique and unified voice. This brand identity gives your potential clients a better sense of who you are.
You and your team understand everything there is to know about your program. You’re probably familiar with specialized terminology and passionate about your rehab’s unique therapies. Maybe you can casually quote data about a treatment’s effectiveness. But ironically, that very passion can make it hard to communicate with laypeople. So when you’re defining your brand voice, it’s important to be as specific as possible.
You can start by answering these questions:
This is your chance to show your audience what’s at the heart of your business. With the right voice, tone and brand storytelling, you can appeal to clients who resonate with what you have to offer.
At Hone, your bespoke content strategy will include a clear definition of your brand voice. First, we’ll work closely with your team to learn what makes your rehab unique. Then, we’ll translate those ideas into a detailed tone of voice and style guide.
As someone who works in this space, you know that every recovery story is different. No two clients have identical needs or goals, and not everyone benefits from the same type of treatment. In other words: your rehab isn’t a perfect fit for everyone.
Trying to convert people who aren’t a good match for your program isn’t just unhelpful to them, it’s also inefficient for you. They’ll have more resistance to enrolling in treatment at each stage of the buyer’s journey, and if they do attend your program, they’re less likely to be successful.
Focusing on your ideal clients is a much better use of your time. But before you can connect with them, you need to know who they are.
To do that, you’ll need to define your target audience.
A buyer persona is a sketch of your ideal client. These characters are fictional, but they should align with the sort of people your treatment center serves best. Here’s what a buyer persona could look like:
Name: Christina Townsend
Age: 39
Occupation: Lawyer
Salary: $150k
Scenario: Christina is a high achiever whose alcohol use is starting to cause medical problems. Both her drinking and her health issues have alienated her friends and family, putting stress on her marriage.
Treatment Goals: First and foremost, Christina needs medical care. She also wants to address the root emotional cause of her addiction, and she doesn’t know where to start. In the long term, she hopes to improve her physical health, save her marriage and rebuild her support network.
Buyer personas help you understand what your readers are going through. Then you can tailor your content to answer their questions and meet their needs.
These profiles can also help you determine where a reader is in their recovery journey. That way, you can share relevant, actionable information with people in every stage of healing.
At Hone, we align content with your clients’ journey with you as a customer – and their journey in recovery.
A helpful buyer persona is as detailed as possible. Answering these questions can help you understand your audience.
Basic Information
These questions humanize your buyer persona, making it easier to empathize with them.
The Recovery Journey
These questions help you understand where they are in the healing process so your content can meet them there.
Treatment Goals
These questions help you identify good candidates for your unique rehab program.
Before you start creating new content, you need to understand what you already have. Eventually, you may need to update it based on your new strategy – but first, just see what’s there. Go through your website, social media profiles, and other platforms with a fine-toothed comb. Make a detailed list of all your published content, including:
Every piece of content serves a purpose. How is your existing content helping you achieve your goals?
To answer this, you’ll need to learn about performance metrics.
Before you make any big changes, look at the metrics for your pre-existing content. You can use that data to develop a content strategy that reflects your current strengths and accounts for areas you need to improve.
You can also assess your content by using a few softer criteria, like these questions:
When you’re ready to revamp your marketing strategy – or design one for the first time – this detailed review is a necessary first step. As you go through it, make sure to document your process. You’ll return to it regularly as you evaluate your content’s performance.
It’s a common belief that SEO means creating content for the sake of putting words on a page, and stuffing that page with keywords to game search engine algorithms. But that’s simply not true anymore.
On the contrary, the latest SEO guidelines prioritize helpfulness to the reader.
Rehab websites are considered by Google to be YMYL (your money/your life), meaning they influence people’s decisions about their health, happiness, finances or safety. For these types of sites, Google uses a set of criteria called E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) to determine your ranking in search results:
E-E-A-T guidelines are essential for SEO, but they’re still just one part of it. It’s important for your SEO goals to fit into your overarching marketing strategy.
Effective SEO relies on high-quality, genuinely helpful content. While conventional marketing practices used to place metrics above all else, causing content to lose meaning, this approach no longer works. Now, search engines reward responsible content. Optimization means providing your audience with relevant, accurate information.
Hone integrates SEO best practices into your content strategy from the get-go.
Content shouldn’t exist in a silo. It’s important to integrate your content strategy into your rehab’s broader vision. As you’re doing that, here are a few ideas to consider:
Hone takes a holistic approach to content. Our process accounts for your business goals and your treatment philosophy. With these ideals as a guide, we’ll work with you to create specific marketing objectives that embody your values.
Your content strategy guides your content plan. This is where you get into the brass tacks of creating published pieces.
Here’s how to get started:
With your content strategy as a guide, Hone’s team outlines a comprehensive publishing schedule for all your chosen platforms. This gives you more points of connection with your audience, and more opportunities to deliver content that inspires their recovery.
Once you have a content plan, it’s time to carry it out. To do that, you’ll need:
Hone’s editorial process includes a rigorous six-step review of each piece of content, to make sure it meets our quality standards. Our established systems keep things running smoothly so you can focus on what you do best: helping clients through recovery.
Content marketing is a cycle.
Your content strategy should be clear and specific – but it’s also a living document. It will grow and change to support your rehab’s evolving needs.
When it’s time to update your approach, don’t be afraid to experiment with new tactics. Even if an initiative falls flat, it can give you helpful information about your audience. Just make sure to course correct once you realize it’s not working in your favor.
The best content is both helpful and relevant. Stay informed about industry trends – for recovery and marketing – so you can decide whether to follow them. In every strategy update, ask yourself these questions:
Your answers will guide you toward more effective, ethical and inspiring content.
Hone provides holistic content marketing for rehabs around the world. Connect with us to tell us about your mission – and learn how we can support it with the power of content.
© HONE COPYWRITING 2023
