If you are in the treatment field, you have to know something about an addict’s struggle and their very personal journey to treatment either from first hand experience or through extensive studies and experiences of loved ones or patients. You know how it goes: there is the battle with the disease, hitting rock bottom, the decision to go to treatment, then they research and otherwise shop for treatment, then, finally, and sometimes reluctantly, go to treatment. If everything goes accordingly, the end result is ultimately a successful life of recovery.
It is the researching and shopping part of an addict’s journey into treatment that can make or break a treatment facility’s head in bed count. Why? Here are some straightforward facts about how an addict or an addict’s loved one seeking treatment for them seeks out a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center:
- Just over half of treatment shoppers visited a treatment facility’s website prior to converting. This statistic shows that having an impressive, user friendly, non-pretentious, informative, and easily accessible web page matters.
- Forty percent took less than two weeks to research before calling the facility to make an appointment. This shows that the information that is made available to the public counts for the saleable quality of the facility and its program. The more flexible the program can be to a wide variety of addict’s needs, the more likely they are to obtaining a more favorable head in bed ratio.
- The majority of users look for a facility that accepts their healthcare plan, followed closely behind by the quality of their reputation. Next they look for a facility that utilizes the most up-to-date technology. Over seventy-five percent of addicts or their loved ones research treatment facilities that have strong recommendations from their trusted family, friends, or physicians. Over eighty-five percent of individuals seeking treatment use a combination of online and offline resources.
- Mobile research is key! The majority of online searches are conducted at home (over seventy percent). Studies indicate that those who research on mobile devices are more than twice as likely to make an appointment with a treatment facility than those who search on a computer device.
- More than eighty-five of people seeking treatment who booked an appointment first searched for treatment using a search engine. When a website is properly optimized to be accessible for treatment seekers to find, a search drives at least three times as many visitors to the treatment center site as compared to a non-search.
- Once a treatment seeker sees a paid treatment center’s advertisement, nearly forty percent actually visit that website, and slightly less than that begin the research process. Many will actually consider treatment facility that was advertised, and over twenty-five percent will conduct searches for more information. Reputation, visibility, and image are critical when advertising at this stage of the marketing process.
- Online videos make a difference too. After a treatment seeker watches an online video, over thirty percent scheduled an appointment and or contacted a treatment facility. Over twenty percent shared the video, and almost forty percent spread the word to individuals in their lives about the treatment center.
It is important to remember what it is like to be in the mind of an individual seeking treatment, whether they are an addict or a concerned and frightened loved one of an addict. They are looking for the best personalized solution for the individual situation, and they are most likely going to look until they find the best fit. These are people’s lives at stake and they want to go with a facility that not only recognize this, but also handle it with care, compassion, and respect. The image that a treatment facility should give off is a sensitive one who understands the complexities of addiction, is ready to handle any situation that a family is dealing with, and is not too big or small for any addict who needs help.
