Managing an addiction treatment center was never easy. Then, along came COVID-19 and all the rules seemed to change overnight. One thing is certain: addiction treatment marketing in quarantine is a challenge unlike anything detox and rehab centers have ever faced before.
Addiction has climbed during the pandemic as people fight feelings of increased isolation due to quarantine. Some struggle with sudden unemployment. Others have an increased exposure to an unstable home environment. All of the factors are fueling higher addiction rates.
Leverage Addiction Treatment Marketing in Quarantine To Keep Up Admissions
Although detox and drug rehab facilities stand ready to help patients suffering from addiction that has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and quarantine conditions, seeking help is more challenging than usual. The unique situation of millions of people under lockdown has made many people anxious about being outside of the home. Even if individuals realize that they may be descending into addiction, they may be more hesitant than ever to pursue treatment.
Persuading people to pursue addiction treatment has never been easy. For many individuals, there’s a social stigma about addiction treatment that can keep them from getting help. Then, on top of this situation comes COVID-19. As the news blares warnings about social gatherings and infection rates, many people’s excursions from home have been to grocery stores, banks and gas stations and little else (often because nothing else was open in the early stages).
Now, in the wake of COVID, learned behaviors of quarantine will linger long after the danger has passed. People are returning to regular activities slowly and cautiously. The return to addiction treatment centers has sometimes been slow at first as well. How do you get prospective (and relapsed) patients into detox and drug rehab facilities? Addiction treatment marketing in quarantine messaging must accomplish two important things:
- Make it clear that a detox and rehab center is safe to reopen at some level. Explain that the number of virus cases have either flattened or declined in the county where the center is located.
- State clearly that reopening is only occurring because a facility has taken the necessary precautions necessary for patient and staff safety.
These messages are solutions to concerns that prospective addiction treatment patients have in a COVID world. Announcing these solutions will take the immediacy that digital media affords.
Connect With Patients About Addiction Using Your Social Media Presence
Overcoming obstacles to addiction treatment has always been a challenge. In the aftermath of a pandemic, this is more of an issue than ever. As a result, addiction treatment centers need to rely on their websites, rehab blogs and social media to convey messaging about the effectiveness of treatment.
Here’s something that healthcare providers need to better understand if addiction treatment marketing in quarantine is going to work. Traditional media meant almost nothing to most people under 30 before COVID-19 occurred. It means even less now. This fact is something that many older, more traditional marketers remain slow to fully understand. For example, an addiction treatment center could air expensive TV ads about its amenities all day long and it’s likely that most younger adults would never see them.
Younger adults expect to find everything they need or want on social media. In this environment, you need to connect with them in a way they understand and relate to. That’s the secret to addiction treatment marketing in quarantine.
How can an addiction treatment center communicate effectively with prospective, current and former patients on social media? For a start, by not being overly promotional. Many people, especially younger people, active on social media are keenly aware of false or misleading voices. If they get a clear sense that you’re trying to sell them something, they’ll never trust you. On the other hand, if your posts are helpful, supportive and informative, the sense of trust grows.
For addiction treatment marketing in quarantine to work, you need to address four patient concerns:
- Do I have an addiction problem?
- Am I endangering my health with this addiction problem?
- Will treatment really help me?
- Where should I go to get help?
All of these questions can be effectively explored on social media… in real time… with real people… in two-way exchanges that benefit everyone reading the posts. Unlike the one-way information dispersal nature of traditional media, social media allows for reactions and clarifications and realizations. For individuals suffering addiction for the first time, your social media presence may be the only thing that can get through to them that, yes, they do need help.
Addiction Treatment Marketing in Quarantine: It’s Your Top Priority
You can’t wait out the pandemic and put your marketing efforts on the back burner. You have to be marketing now. The need is there. You just have to send out the message that you’re open and it’s safe to come in. By focusing more carefully on your digital marketing, you can serve your patients more effectively.