Are you part of the conversation?
That is one of the questions marketers need to ask
themselves at this time of year: budget season for many organizations. Whether a vendor in the behavioral healthcare
market is selling software or offering treatment services, a company needs to
be part of the conversation in order to attract new business.
There are multiple ways to be part of the conversation. On a
national level, is your organization engaged in discussions of policy, trends,
or other field-changing activities? This can be accomplished through multiple
thought leadership and content marketing activities, such as Webinars,
conference presentations, association meetings, and so on. Although marketers
often are pushed to focus only on immediate ROI, being part of a national
conversation develops trust and credibility for your brand in the marketplace.
These characteristics are essential for companies with long sales cycles, such
as software companies and treatment centers.
On an industry level, is your organization visible to
prospects in the market? Branding is crucial as more and more options emerge,
such as the proliferation of treatment centers in recent years. Although
branding is often constrained by budget realities, companies in the behavioral
healthcare and addiction treatment market need to maintain a consistent and
memorable presence at industry events, in publications, and through other media
and venues that interact with prospects. After all, when the time comes to make
a referral or issue an RPF, you want to be at the top of that prospect’s mind.
And remember that branding is not only for the benefit of prospects but for
existing customers/referral sources as well, who look to your branding to not
only to learn about new developments but to reassure themselves that they made
the right choice by selecting your products and services.
On an individual level, is your organization part of the
conversation at organizations looking to make a referral or purchase your
product or service? Consistent lead generation – and lead nurturing –
activities are essential to ensure you are feeding sales and admissions staff a
consistent pipeline of prospects. National and industry-level conversation
efforts will make this process easier, but marketers must make sure they are
being considered in the organizations ready to purchase or refer.
All of this points to an integrated marketing campaign for
generating new business in the addiction treatment and behavioral healthcare
market. Being part of the conversation is just an early step to closing the
deal, but if you’re not part of the conversation you certainly can’t be part of
the solution the prospect is seeking.
