If you have found this article, your Addiction Treatment Center may be experiencing a PPC shutdown. Google came out last week and said they are going to kill PPC for rehabs. Don’t worry! Here is a video where we talk about ways to fill your beds, without using Pay Per Click campaigns. (more…)
I know, I know…. we are all wondering what is going on with the Google ban on recovery centers?
Before I speak too soon, I want to introduce myself.
Hi everyone! This is McKell from MarketingHy, I am the girl who works with my husband (Chase @MarketingHy) and helps businesses with all of their online marketing needs. I absolutely LOVE what I do and I love helping clients grow their businesses.
Enough about me… if you haven’t already heard about the big ban that Google made on recovery centers earlier today, then I hate to burst your bubble, but it happened.
Don’t believe me? You can read about it here.
Before you completely lose your cool, I have a question that you should ask yourself….
My answer is easy…. NO!
There are so many other ways to drive business to your recovery center online.
Ever heard the quote, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”?
This is the perfect analogy for those of you who have only been using Google Adwords to help drive business to your recovery center.
If this is you, then I hate to break it to you but it looks like you probably should be concerned about the ban on recovery centers.
On the other hand, for those of us who are being proactive and doing more, then there should be no fear. There is hope!
I work with a lot of different clients, all from very wide spectrums and each client’s online strategy is different. Because each strategy is different, that’s exactly why they are getting results and their recovery center is thriving.
The one strategy that never let’s me down and produces results every time, is a good client testimonial video.
Check out this video I shot for one of my recovery clients. Her name is Jodi and she is probably one of the most strong enduring women that I have met.
The recovery center’s owner and myself wanted to capitalize on client sobriety… so we had this idea to roll out a sober story sequence where we selected clients that had previously been thru the recovery program and were celebrating their “sober birthday” (how long had they been sober for).
With each client that told their story, it was so specific and special for each of them. There was a lot of meaning and vulnerability that came with each story told.
By being able to capture a video of something so intimate for these recovery clients, it was exactly what my recovery center needed and it’s exactly what every recovery center needs.
Addicts want to know that they are not alone. They want to know that the recovery center they choose is one with validity and heart.
I am getting personal over here for a second, so bare with me… I am the type of girl, that has raging emotions both happy and sad ones. So to be honest, filming each of these clients telling their story was extremely emotional for me. I was behind the camera with tears rolling down my cheeks.
Without fail, each client that shared their story with me, resulted in mascara running down my face. It was such a special experience for me to be apart of.
So what I wanted to do was capture a video in a way that spoke to me, that would also be able to speak to other addicts that might be struggling with the same thing.
This is why I wanted to create a video that would hit other addicts right in the sweet spot. Nothing too pushy, or cheesy, just raw, real video.
Social media is exciting and the potential is endless (there is nothing that gets me or Chase more excited unless it’s chocolate cheesecake).
The coolest part about social media is the ability to be able to connect with so many other individuals that have similar interests, values, and beliefs.
The more transparent we can be as individuals, and as a brand, the more we are going to thrive in an industry that is needed by many.
Drug addicts want to know that there is help for them. They want to know that they are not the only person who is struggling with an addiction. They want to know that they can change their life. And more importantly, they want to know that it is possible.
This is EXACTLY why video is working so well for my recovery clients.
Here are some stats on a Facebook video ad that I am running with the video of Jodi that I shared with you earlier.
By combining both Facebook and a great video into one, I was able to help out my recovery center immensely and don’t have to even think twice about the Google ban on recovery centers.
Think outside of the box and try something new. Whether it’s video, an email blast, or new headline on your landing page, don’t be afraid to try it!
And… more importantly, DON’T be afraid of the Google Ban on recovery centers!
Have questions? Want to learn more?
Check out these articles:
Always feel free to send me an email with any questions, mckell@marketinghy.com. Talk to you soon!
More on Addiction Recovery Marketing
https://marketinghy.com/2017/09/google-just-kill-addiction-treatment-industry/
https://marketinghy.com/2017/09/is-your-drug-detox-center-in-trouble/
https://marketinghy.com/2017/09/google-ban-on-recovery-centers/
https://marketinghy.com/2017/09/how-to-market-for-addiction-recovery-centers-with-seo/
https://marketinghy.com/2017/09/addiction-recovery-centers/
https://marketinghy.com/2017/09/market-your-rehabilitation-center-using-google-maps/
September 14, 2017 was a sad day for many marketing companies and addiction treatment programs.
Google decided that hundreds of rehab-related search terms would no longer be available while using their PPC marketing. Google reps have stated that this decision came from their “higher ups” and was made because they found a large “number of misleading experiences among rehabilitation treatment centers.”
So what does this mean for legitimate addiction recovery centers and their marketing meant to reach individuals in need?
Well, what Google has restricted are certain search terms, so you’re going to be unable to show an ad for that specific term, but that doesn’t mean people are going to stop searching it. Which is why SEO and Social Media outreach is more important than ever for addiction recovery centers.
The best thing you can do for your addiction recovery center marketing is to start creating as much high quality content as you can for a variety of keywords.
Did you know the first position on Google receives about 30% of all clicks within Google? It’s so important to have a solid content creation plan in place with skyscraper articles, supporting articles, and internal links to help rank your company for that top spot on Google.
The downfall of SEO is that it takes time. Time to create, and time to rank.
How much time?
Plan on 12 months of content creation and backlink building before you see great results. Here are some images that will show you a timeline and the growth for an SEO campaign. These are in the addiction recovery space.
But there are a few things that you can do to help your content to rank on page 1 of Google.
Be sure that your content has a good strong headline that contains your desired keyword along with any H2 or H3 tags that are needed. Following up your headline with a short paragraph about the topic (about 100 words) can also help you rank for Google Featured Snippets.
Your content should be a minimum of 300 words, and in truth, the longer the content you can create the better. However, like most things in life, remember quality over quantity.
Your keyword should be found 1-3% within the content. For an article that contains 300 words, your keyword should be found three to nine times. Any more than that and the Google algorithm may ding you for keyword stuffing. It should be found in the title, URL, headlines, content, meta tags, meta description, and your image.
Your featured image, or the first image in your content should have appropriate alt tags and should be named with your keyword.
Your content should link back to your skyscraper articles. Select the appropriate keyword and link back to your long article (preferably 1500 words or more), and this will create an internal link. You entire content plan should look like one large “family tree” with your skyscraper articles being the patriarch and matriarch and every article linking back to at least one of them.
It’s also important to get backlinks to your articles. There’s a number of ways to get backlinks to articles, but they aren’t always easy, and they aren’t always cheap.
You can reach out to websites that are related to your field and ask them to add a link to your content; you can create guest posts for related sites and link your keywords back to your article on your own site. Or you can purchase backlinks. However, not all backlinks are beneficial. There are a lot of junk links out there that will actually ding you rather than raise you.
If you’re going to purchase backlinks, stay clear of inexpensive and unknown backlinks services. Places live Fiverr offer multiple backlinks for the cheap price of $5. These will hurt your SEO score. Instead look at high quality services like The Hoth, which provides the domain authority of each of the sites they place your backlink on.
Remember that organic traffic accounts for more than 80% of the traffic on most websites, so having constant content creation is so important. Especially for addiction recovery centers, whose clients want to know about their facility, the location, their programs, what they can expect, success stories, and more.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest gaps we find in our recovery clients current marketing strategy is their content, or lack thereof. They either aren’t creating any, or it’s irrelevant filler articles that aren’t ranking for the correct search terms. There’s a wealth of opportunity just waiting to be tapped into, and fortunately for our clients, we know how to use this to their advantage.
Hey everyone! This is Chase from MarketingHy I have had the amazing experience lately with helping some of the nation’s biggest names in the drug and alcohol addiction niche.
A subject that is constantly on my mind is,
There are many rules when it comes to digital marketing for a company like this. Some of today’s top marketing venues such as Facebook, Instagram and others have strict guidelines for what you can and can’t-do.
And now, come to find out earlier today, Google is cracking down on Adwords and Google listings for rehabilitation centers.
Let me take you back to this morning….
I jumped in my car and on my way to the office I hear my phone chime in.
I pull into the parking lot, open the article and am greeted by a headline on how,
“GoogleIs going to be cracking down on how they market addiction recovery centers.”
Now What? – was the first thing that popped into my head.
Then I thought for a second and I actually became pretty excited!
The answer comes back to what I personally think is the most important part of any business.
BRANDING!
Something that is easier than ever in today’s era with tools like social media. Yet, most rehab centers completely skip this step.
We use branding to show the entire world who we are and exactly what our business stands for.
And the best part, it’s FREE!
So… how do you start to really brand your Business?
There are a couple things I want to go over but first, let’s starts with two simple questions.
1. What specific value can you bring to your clients?
2. Why do you want to bring this value? What drives you and your team to get up every day?
The answers to these questions will be what shapes your brand and builds relatability with the people who come across your content. People are constantly seeking solutions to solve their pain points.
Now that we have that down. Let’s discuss the benefits of branding.
Have you ever heard the term,
“people hate to be sold, but they love to buy?”
People are tired of seeing ad after ad as they search through their social media (SPAM).
More and more people are using Ad blocking technology for that reason exactly. That means it will be harder and harder to reach your target market.
The best thing about branding is you are selling at a macro. You are literally placing ideas into people’s minds as they find out more about your product.
As you build your brand and people begin to learn more about who you are, in return it builds trust. Once people have gained value from you and what you offer, only then will they look into buying or signing up from you.
Now… how can you put this idea of branding out to your clients?
The answer is simple…. Content Creation!
I’m not talking about having a meeting and saying,
“Well today is national hot dog day. I think we need to make some posts telling everyone to race out and eat a hot dog.”
I’m saying we need better more thought out creation. Too many times we get caught up in what everyone else is doing and posting that we lose the focus of pushing our brand forward.
Here are some steps to creating great content…
1. Go back to your what and why
2. Focus on adding value to your clients through what you offer
3. Craft up a post using these two points (make sure to have an end goal in mind education, sales, finding new clients, etc.)
4. Find the best platform to push your content out on
5. Quality Consistency is key
Now let me ask you a question…..
Who do you go to when you need to find answers online?
The kid who just started, or the trusted expert?
The final key is this,
YOU MUST BECOME THE TRUSTED EXPERT IN YOUR NICHE.
Becoming a leader in your industry creates trust and brand credibility.
When a mom has a child that needs help, your recovery center has to be the first one that comes to her mind.
Investing time into content creation is one of the best ways to leader in your industry.
Almost all buyers purchase based on the influence of content they see.
Once you have branded your business as the GO-TO in your industry, people will start to take your word more seriously and the influence your business has will increase dramatically.
Here are a couple key points to remember:
1. Don’t always talk about how great your business is – remember, it is always about the value you can bring to the client. You must give value before asking for a dollar
2. You probably have years of experience – don’t be afraid to give your knowledge to those looking for it. Find ways to get out in your community and speak
3. Always be yourself (build your own brand, not someone else’s)
4. Find which platform your personality fits best (video, blogging, social media, etc.)
5. Always remember to keep your brand in mind
In the world of digital marketing, tactics change on a daily basis. But one thing will always remain the same…. BRANDING IS EVERYTHING!
Build a brand that adds an immense amount of value to people’s lives and they will organically come to you. There is endless potential in doing so.
Start your branding journey today!
If you have any questions feel free to reach out!
