3 Steps For Behavioral Health Brand Success on Social Media

Most of us already understand that social media can make (or sometimes break) a behavioral health brand. Successful social media campaigns can expand your reach, increase the impact of your content, and amplify your message. And ongoing research indicates that your social media following can also translate into increased revenue.

A recent study by social media analytics firm Sprout Social reports that “when consumers follow a brand on social, 75% will increase their spending with that brand, a number that has increased 12% year-over-year.” (You can read the full report right here.)

Though we know how powerful social media can be for outreach and communication, we sometimes overlook its potential as a tool for building customer loyalty and converting followers into clients. In this article, we’re going to briefly explore three key strategies for strengthening your social media presence in a way that will impact your bottom line. They are:

• Ask yourself three key questions about your social presence
• Ensure your content is discoverable on social media
• Consider boosted posts and paid social media advertising

Ready? Let’s get started. 

Step One: Ask Yourself Three Key Questions 

Before you make any adjustments to your current social media approach, ask yourself a series of questions to assess your current efforts. These questions are designed to test whether you’re well-positioned to increase loyalty and followers with your existing social media profiles and content. If you answer no to these questions, work on plugging these leaks before moving onto step two. 

Here are the three questions to ask yourself about your current social media practices:

Is your social media usage a one-way street? If you’re broadcasting content to your followers without asking them to engage in return, you’re missing out on opportunities to deepen engagement. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on your posts or even solicit questions from your followers across platforms. 

Do you reward your social media followers? While many followers are content to follow your account for news and updates, it’s important to recognize your most loyal audience members. Consider hosting an appreciation day, where you recognize particularly active followers with gift cards or a shoutout, or simply take the time to thank followers who engage with your content. 

Do you provide easy ways for followers to become clients? When a follower needs help with behavioral health treatment, you want to be able to support. But if your social media profile doesn’t provide easy ways for them to get in touch, they may go elsewhere. Make sure you provide an easy-to-use contact method across your platforms. 

To recap, these three questions are designed to help you determine if you can improve in these key areas:

• Deeper engagement with your content (ask for feedback and begin conversations)
• Recognition of your most loyal followers (helps increase and strengthen engagement)
• Easier ability for loyal followers to become clients (give them an easy way to get in touch with you)

Tackle these three areas first before taking the next step. 

Step Two: Make Your Content Discoverable on Social Media

It’s easy to think that the same content that performs well on search engines, such as blogs and FAQs, will also perform well on social media. 

However, the act of discovering content on search and discovering content on social media are quite different. Therefore, the content you create for each platform should also be unique. 

On search engines, we’re discovering new information to help us improve our personal or professional lives. From Google to Bing to Yahoo, search engines act as a useful tool to help us find the information we need amid millions of websites. 

On social media, however, we’re discovering new and engaging content about our friends, colleagues, and networks. Unlike search engines, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter present us with content we probably would not have seen or sought out on our own. 

Your treatment business needs to be present on both search engines and social media so users can “discover” you when using these tools. But being discoverable on search and social requires two different approaches. 

Here’s how to get started:

On search, being discoverable means being the first. More than 90% of Google users never go past the first page of results. This means that to be discoverable on a search engine, you need to show up on that first page. 

On social media, however, being discoverable means being the most interesting. In contrast to search engines, users on social media platforms enjoy the act of scrolling through content, sifting for the most engaging and relevant updates for them. To stand out, you’ll need to create compelling and visually appealing content that “stops the scroll” and causes users to pay attention. To do so, you can combine boosted or paid posts with high-quality organic content. 

In this step, start with your organic content. Optimize your content with eye-catching visuals and concise but impactful headlines. Create content that your audience actually needs—perhaps by polling or surveying them about their concerns and recovery goals. 

Once you’ve started this process, you can move onto the third step of boosting posts or paying for advertising on the platforms themselves. 

Step Three: Get Started With Social Media Advertising

A whopping 69% of American adults use Facebook, according to Pew research, with 37% on Instagram and 22% on Twitter. And that doesn’t even account for platforms like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and WhatsApp, all of which command sizable followings individually. 

So it stands to reason that social media networks are good places to advertise, right? 

Well, like most things in life, the answer depends on your desired outcome. While the sheer number of users on social media platforms would be enticing to any business, advertising on the social web isn’t as foolproof as advertising on search engines like Google and Bing. 

Still, for an advertiser with realistic goals, social media can provide a cost-effective return on investment. 

Once you’ve made some improvements to your social media strategy, consider testing out a small advertising budget next. But keep these rules of thumb in mind for social media advertising:

Remember your advertising won’t be as targeted as other platforms. Unlike Google or Bing, audience targeting tools remain rudimentary on many social media platforms. This means that you’ll reach a wider audience for less upfront cost, but fewer of those leads may match your criteria. 

Remember you’ll probably get more form fills than calls. Social media users are statistically much more likely to fill out a form rather than pick up the phone, so you’ll have to do the hard work of tracking them down yourself. Make sure your admissions teams are prepared!

Remember you will need to act quickly on any inbound leads. We recommend reaching out to social media leads within 5 minutes or less and to make 4 separate attempts before giving up. Users expect a fast response time in the always-connected digital age. 

Beginning with a small budget will allow you to refine your advertising approach as you learn more about each platform. This also diversifies your marketing toolbox so you’re not reliant on a single source of leads. 

Social media can be a powerful source of leads, traffic, and referrals when used properly. Following these three steps is a good starting point. For more guidance, contact CB Recovery and we’ll set up a more in-depth discussion. 

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