What People Look for When Choosing a Treatment Center

Choosing a treatment center is difficult for potential clients and their loved ones. When someone makes the huge decision to attend treatment, they want immediate healing. They’re also nervous about what the experience will be like. Will it be painful? Will it actually work? 

Officials at mental health and addiction treatment facilities can benefit from understanding what people look for when choosing a treatment center. They can use this information to guide and adjust their marketing plans. 

Content Journey helps various treatment centers use marketing campaigns to increase their client loads. One of our clients even went on a waitlist for more than a year, partly thanks to our marketing efforts.

This post explains what people look for in treatment centers and how you can better market your center to meet — and even exceed — their needs.

Local Considerations

An essential factor potential clients consider is location. Some people don’t mind going out of their city or state for treatment. But most prefer staying close to home for financial reasons, or so they can get support from their family and friends. It’s vital to be upfront about where your treatment center is or if you have multiple locations.

When marketing your facility, use geographic keywords and local SEO so clients who want to stay closer to home can find your center easily. They can search online for treatment centers in their area. You should also have an SEO-focused location page that helps people understand your center’s location.

Treatment Approaches

People want to know what treatment options are available at a specific treatment center so they can make as informed a decision as possible. It’s essential to outline what your facility offers and how your treatments are implemented, including:

• The treatment options your center specializes in
• How these treatment options stand out from those of other centers 
• What the treatment process looks like from start to finish
• How long people can expect treatment to take

By outlining the above details on your treatment center’s website, you can give potential clients the information they need to decide what works best for their unique needs. Additionally, it offers your treatment center a competitive edge over competition that isn’t as detailed in their marketing efforts.

Cost and Insurance

As you can imagine, cost and insurance play a vital role in what people look for when choosing a treatment center. Prospective clients and their loved ones want to know they can afford to receive the best treatment possible. Be as transparent as possible about your prices, but emphasize how you can help people navigate treatment costs. 

An easy way to facilitate that conversation is to offer ways to get in contact with your facility through the use of:

• Chatbots
• Confidential forms
• Easy-to-find contact information

You can also provide information on insurance options. Offer resources to help readers understand what’s covered. You should emphasize contacting your treatment center for more information. It’s also a good idea to display financial assistance options prominently on your site.

Staff Qualifications

People want to know that the mental health professionals at a treatment center they’re interested in are qualified. Beyond that, they want to be able to see themselves relating to and feeling comfortable with your staff. 

One way to show off your well-educated and experienced personnel is to have an About Us page on your website. It helps to include staff bios with:

• Photos. Can people see themselves working with your staff? Do they appear friendly and professional?
• Credentials. What makes your staff qualified to provide care? Listing your team members’ credentials, experience, and qualifications can build credibility and help clients connect with your staff before even meeting them.
• Experience. How long has your treatment center been in operation? Do you have staff members with multiple years or even decades of experience? Highlighting the years of service of your employees can showcase their commitment to high-quality care.

By showcasing your staff, you give potential clients insight into the people behind the “brand.” It facilitates a personal approach to treatment rather than a generic, impersonal approach that can be off-putting. 

Receiving mental health or addiction treatment is a deeply emotional experience, and people want to know they have a robust support system available at your treatment center.

Center Amenities

People want to know what amenities your treatment center has that make it stand out from the competition. By including various pictures of your center on your service pages, you:

• Help people connect with your center before they even visit
• Provide a real-life understanding of what your facility looks like
• Allow people to see themselves there

People also want to know what activities your center offers. Include pages on your website showing what experiential activities are available and how potential clients can enjoy treatment.

Accommodations

Regarding accommodations, it helps to be as detailed as possible. After all, proper sleep, nutrition, and comfort are crucial to successful treatment. Everyone cares about these details. 

Offer potential clients peace of mind that your center is comfortable and equipped for their needs. Give them details and show photos of your center’s accommodations. You can even include a packing list to jumpstart their journey.

Aftercare and Continuing Support

Treatment doesn’t end once a client leaves your treatment center. It’s usually a lifelong process. Showcase your center’s aftercare programs and how you’ll continue providing care and support after initial treatment.

Explain how aftercare is a crucial part of the treatment process. Make sure to address the possibility of relapse and your treatment center’s support in these instances. 

People want to know that you won’t see them as a number. They should know that you see them as human beings with needs, goals, and a desire for connection. When you explain that your center offers continuous care, you show people choosing a treatment center that you go the extra mile to ensure their success.

Family Involvement

When going through mental health or addiction treatment, people want to know that they have and can access their families’ support. It’s essential to address the role family plays in treatment. Make sure to explain how your center can facilitate that communication. 

Questions you should strive to answer include:

• Are there ways a family can communicate with their loved ones while in treatment?
• Are there visitation options?
• What resources are available on your website that address family members directly and explain how they play a role in the treatment process?

It’s also helpful to review any family support programs your treatment center has. This information helps potential clients and their families feel good knowing they can support one another through treatment.

Success Stories

People don’t just want to hear from you about how great your treatment center is. They want to know that others attended your center and the treatment worked for them. Include client reviews and testimonials on your site, highlighting how your treatment center helped them succeed.

It’s helpful for prospective clients to learn about what your treatment center is like from unbiased perspectives. That way, they can gain a well-rounded understanding of what to expect if they choose your center. Don’t be afraid to show off honest reviews that still portray your center positively.

Helping People Choosing a Treatment Center

Choosing a treatment center is challenging, uncomfortable, and frightening. Clients want to ensure they can heal in a comfortable, safe place. By offering details on where your center is, what treatment options you offer, cost and insurance information, staff qualifications, amenities, aftercare and continuing support, family involvement, and success stories, you can ensure your treatment center stands out from the competition.

For help focusing your marketing on what makes your treatment center unique and why people should choose it, contact Content Journey. Content Journey is a people-first content marketing agency that aims to create consistent content strategies for treatment centers like yours to yield the best outcomes.