Addiction Marketing Consultants: Everything You Need To Know

The recipe for building a successful addiction treatment center requires many different disciplines. This includes medical staff, legal teams, and importantly, addiction marketing consultants.

Here’s why.

Since 2019, 43% of centers have reduced their patient capacity. Another 33% have seen lower patient retention rates. An additional 10% have closed due to the stressors of the pandemic.

Without marketing guidance, many more may close in the future.

This is where addiction marketing consultants come into play. 

These are trained professionals who can work alongside you to identify new opportunities, increase lead quality, and boost your profit margins. 

The question is, are addiction marketing consultants a good fit for your rehab center?

This guide explains everything you should know about addiction marketing consultants — including what their role is, when to hire one, and how to choose the right option for your treatment center.

Let’s begin with a definition.

What is an Addiction Marketing Consultant?

Addiction marketing consultants are business and marketing professionals who assist with starting or growing drug rehab centers. This may include designing (or redesigning) a website, creating multichannel strategies, or building paid search ads.

The best addiction marketing consultants hire experienced professionals with a portfolio of success stories around launching, growing, and sustaining rehab centers. These professionals not only create an online presence but also use PPC and organic content to deliver qualified leads to your door.

Addiction marketing consultants aren’t like generic marketing companies — they’re vertically niched in the drug and addiction rehab industry. They know how to attract and convert local leads and may offer guaranteed results over the course of their partnership.

You can find three different types of addiction marketing consultants: agencies, coaches, and freelancers. Agencies offer the greatest capacity for work at the highest price point. Coaches provide advice and suggestions, but they may not necessarily implement them for you. Freelancers fall somewhere in the middle — they may implement one or two services on an ad-hoc basis.

It’s best to consider the needs of your center before selecting a type that works for you.

What Do Addiction Marketing Consultants Do?

Addiction marketing consultants focus on digital growth strategies for rehab centers, which include both existing facilities and early-stage centers.

Addiction marketing consultants typically assist with:

• Market research: The research and discovery phase is arguably the most important step in business success. This is the stage where you identify opportunities, evaluate your competitive landscape, and benchmark your performance.
• SEO campaigns: Search Engine Optimization is the great equalizer of addiction treatment centers. Successful treatment consultants begin by uncovering keyword opportunities, then manage on-page and off-page growth strategies to help your business succeed.
• PPC campaigns: Pay-per-click ads can generate instant leads by leveraging the power of direct response marketing. Over time, this can become a cost-effective method of supplementing organic leads with affordable PPC.
• Website design: Your rehab center’s website can make or break a lead’s decision to convert. Trusted addiction consultants can craft engaging websites without neglecting critical SEO markers.

Keep in mind some treatment consultants offer niche-specific services depending on your center. Some may focus on in-patient facilities, while others work with outpatient clinics.

Having trouble picking the best option for your treatment center? It’s wise to write up a shortlist so you can make an informed decision.

When to Hire an Addiction Marketing Consultant

Addiction marketing consultants assist with rehab centers at any stage of maturity. This includes anything from a pre-launch brand to an existing business needing additional support.

That said, the best time to hire an addiction marketing consultant is when you need to grow your business.

You may want to hire an addiction marketing consultant when:

• You need to create a marketing plan (especially with SEO, website design, paid search, and lead generation).
• You need more leads to fill more beds (particularly with a long-term organic and strategic PPC approach).
• You’re finding it difficult to scale your addiction center (or lack the SOPs, processes, or nurturing systems to grow the brand).
• You’re looking to reduce the cost of paid ads (you’re spending too much per lead for your process to be profitable).

Be careful not to hire an addiction consultant before you’re ready. Growing too fast can lead to growing pains and unnecessary debt. 

Signs you may need to wait for an addiction marketing consultant are:

• No more capacity to grow your rehab center
• No desire to add more beds to your facility
• More pressing needs for business development

Again, the best time to hire an addiction consultant largely depends on your situation. Most treatment consultants offer consultations and discovery calls so you can determine whether your company is a fit.

How to Choose the Right Addiction Marketing Consultant

Not all addiction marketing consultants are built alike.

Some provide ‘V’ shaped experiences by focusing deeply on a single service, while others provide ‘T’ shaped experiences by integrating with multiple channels (such as PPC and content marketing).

You should prioritize addiction marketing consultants who:

• Offer qualified leads. There’s a big difference between a paid-for click and a truly engaged lead. The best addiction consultants know how to spot the difference and guide a consistent flow of business to your drug rehab center.
• Provide guaranteed results. While some addiction consultants tout ‘eventual’ results, others promise guaranteed results within 100 days. It’s wise to trust your business budget to professionals proven to get results.
• Use blended or multichannel strategies. Organic lead generation could take a long time to mature. In contrast, poorly-optimized PPC campaigns may cost a fortune over the long haul. The best solution is to embrace both at once with a qualified campaign from proven professionals.

How do you make the final decision for your brand?

Once you have a shortlist of consultants, narrow down your options based on the needs of your business. Then, cross off the options that don’t meet the mark and evaluate the remainders based on experience, price, and results.

If you make the right choice and find a suitable partner for your center, both you and your business will thrive for years to come.