The pandemic continues to haunt us. We clearly see it in terms of the number of people who have died. What most people aren’t seeing is the toll it’s taken on our country’s collective mental health. This has implications for behavioral health digital marketing.

Even though vaccines promised a return to something closer to normal, the surge of variants has compromised that idea. It is surely no surprise that recent surveys indicate 40% of American adults are now experiencing anxiety or depression.

Demand for mental health services has gone up to no one’s surprise in the behavioral health field. Telehealth services for mental health were barely a thing before the pandemic. Now, mental health online resources have become extremely important as the pandemic refuses to subside.

Over the past 18 months, online mental health counseling has become routine. Clearly, companies have stepped up their game to deal with increased demand for mental health services.

However, the stark reality is that there’s a long way to go to address the problem. It’s estimated that nearly 50% of Americans don’t have meaningful access to mental healthcare. The repercussions for behavioral health digital marketing are pronounced.

As we speed toward the end of what has been a year only slightly less difficult than 2020, let’s consider two important implications for your behavioral health digital marketing:

1. Telemedicine: It Isn’t Going Anywhere

At first, telehealth was a clunky mechanism no one was overly anxious to use. Then, as the months rolled by and everyone (providers and patients) got used to it, telehealth became just another aspect of healthcare. 

While telehealth can’t replace in-person treatment, it can certainly be used when face-to-face interaction isn’t necessary. It’s likely that telehealth will remain a part of behavioral healthcare in the long term, perhaps forever.

The Implications for Behavioral Health Digital Marketing

As we anticipate telehealth to be a permanent part of the healthcare landscape, what are the implications for marketing? Dreamscape Marketing suggests the following:

• Inform your patients… again. This is a simple step, and easy to forget. You’ve told your patients about telehealth, no doubt. Now, it’s time to tell them it’s not going away just because you’re capable of seeing patients in-person.
• Integrate telehealth throughout your marketing infrastructure. Telehealth cannot exist only as a landing page you hastily threw together to announce it back in the spring of 2020. It has to appear now as a permanent part of your operation, not some afterthought. Telehealth should be reflected across your website, on your Google My Business listing and in social media.

2. The Approach Toward SEO and Content Marketing Is Changing

The marketing spend for healthcare marketers is always a major priority. In the wake of the pandemic, some behavioral healthcare providers tried at first to pause their marketing. This was an understandable decision made out of fear. However, it wasn’t the right decision.

Unfortunately, the pandemic didn’t come and go. The question is no longer, “Should we be spending money on behavioral health digital marketing?” Now, the question becomes, “How should we be spending it?”

The Implications for Behavioral Health Digital Marketing

Trying to budget for SEO, PPC and content marketing this year hasn’t been easy for behavioral health providers. However, as uncertain as things may be, some things simply don’t change. 

The need for healthcare continues unabated, and people are finding their healthcare providers the same way they’re finding a car dealer: online. That means that your website continues to be the first impression most people have of your mental health treatment center.

What should you be concentrating on with your digital marketing? Dreamscape Marketing would recommend paying close attention to the following two areas:

• Hyper Local SEO: The pandemic forced lockdowns and quarantines. No one wanted to travel. As a result, local search results became more important than ever. “Near me” searches became commonplace for everything from grocery delivery to healthcare services. Therefore, your Google My Business (GMB) listing has become especially important. Is it optimized? Is it complete? Do you even know? Your behavioral health digital marketing depends on the answer.
• Timely, Highly Relevant Content: Information has been of prime importance since the start of the pandemic. When it hasn’t been there, bad things have happened. This is something to keep in mind with your content marketing efforts. Refresh your mental health treatment center website with smart content in the form of landing pages and blogs. Your content exists to answer questions that prospective patients or their families have. If you don’t answer these questions, someone else will. Redouble your efforts to provide high quality content that is relevant and motivating to viewers.

Is Your Behavioral Health Digital Marketing Ready For What’s Ahead?

Marketing has never been an easy task. Now, with a world-changing pandemic, it’s important for mental health treatment centers to be on top of their marketing more than ever before.

Dreamscape Marketing, a recognized leader in digital marketing for behavioral health clients, can take you into the uncertain future with greater confidence. Contact us today at 888.307.7304 and let’s discuss how to elevate your behavioral health digital marketing strategy.