But why? Why do we allow trends that were insignificant, and frankly stupid, one day (fidget spinners, anyone?) to become a significant part of our lives the next? I don’t think the fact that the word “fad” is literally a shortened version of “fiddle-faddle” is a mistake.1
Could the cause be that 90% of people are influenced by advertising?2 Peer pressure? The desire to be included? Or maybe a combination of all these?
Whatever the reason, trends are all around us. Every day, we’re faced with the decision to embrace or reject these fads—even in marketing. And as an addiction treatment center marketer, you have to keep tabs on the latest and greatest marketing trends. But just because something is the latest doesn’t always mean it’s actually the greatest.
You know from experience that some advertising trends stick around and others fade away. So how can you cut through the noise to get to the genuinely great marketing trends that are worth pursuing?
We’re glad you asked! Here are four content marketing trends in 2023 that are worth paying attention to.
Trend 1. Diversify Your Presentation
Marketers have been steadily increasing their content marketing repertoire beyond articles and white papers. Now, they’re creating informative podcasts, filming exciting videos, and hosting digital events to attract new clients. This year, video, digital, and real-world events, and owned-media assets are the top content marketing mediums.3 Your addiction treatment center should be utilizing these options in your marketing strategy.
Telling stories is an integral part of addiction treatment and recovery. If you have a dynamic and interesting treatment team member on your staff, consider starting a podcast. They’re growing in popularity, with 55% of households having listened to a podcast.4 That’s up from 51% in 2019.
Videos are also an effective story-telling medium and make great impressions on clients. In fact, 54% of clients wish brands would produce more video content.5
The next time you get a great content idea for your addiction treatment center, consider the medium. Would your idea work well in audio or video format? Could that content be turned into an event? Is the content consistent with current addiction treatment content marketing trends? Asking these questions will remind you to think about these alternatives before simply drafting another article.
Trend 2. Understand Search Intent
To get to the heart of your patients, you need to understand their search intent. Knowing what they’re searching for is helpful, but learning why they’re searching for that term is far more revealing.
If a large group of users search for “outpatient alcohol rehab,” you’d create a digital marketing campaign targeted at people who could possibly be experiencing alcohol use disorder. But, after examining search intent, you learn that the users behind that search were actually immediate family members trying to find an outpatient treatment option for their loved one.
Search intent changes everything. If ignored, you’ll miss important details about your patients and their loved ones. Knowing why people make particular searches provides valuable insight into the type of content they want to see.
Trend 3. Pay Attention to Google
OK, OK, this isn’t a trend. This is something marketers have needed to do for the last two decades. But this task has never been more important.
There are 4.2 billion pages on the internet.6 The competition for top-billing on Google has never been hotter. And in your line of work, as you compete for clients’ attention, lives are on the line.
Do some experimenting with Google. First, search the keywords you want to rank for and check the results that are returned. What are the top websites doing well? Is their strategy consistent with addiction treatment content marketing trends? How should you change your approach to increase your drug rehab center’s position on the search results?
Make sure you’re following all of Google’s guidelines and creating high-quality content to achieve top billing on the SERP.
Trend 4. Provide Quality Content Across the Board
Until now, quality has been a subjective part of SEO, but Google is quickly closing that gap. After a recent update, Google can now measure page experience and Core Web Vitals, which are both key quality indicators.
Content needs to satisfy Google’s EAT expectations: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Do that, and your content will be classified as quality.
Create content with your ideal patient in mind. What would you say to them? What do they need to know about you? How can your content help them on their recovery journey? Quality content that satisfies those needs will get you far.
Need to change up your content strategy this year? We’re here to help. Call us at 888.307.7304 to schedule a strategy session.
For a list of references, please contact us.