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A Look Into Treatment Marketing on Facebook

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If you own a treatment center, then hats off to you for doing the work that is so badly needed in our society.  Getting the word out can be difficult in a crowded landscape with some major players dropping big bucks to keep up their marketshare.

In my quest to help treatment centers initiate relationships with potential admits, a very interesting platform that is rapidly evolving is Facebook.

Can You Market Treatment Centers on Facebook without a LegitScript Certification in 2021?

Actually, yes you can. The constraints have changed a lot in the last two years.  Upon LegitScript’s initial launch, you were basically prevented from doing any promotion on Facebook if you were not LegitScript certified.  Then, we started noticing certain types of promotions being allowed (boosting posts).

Promoted for $100, this reached 7,425 people and has been shared 142 times (so far!)

To be sure, you will be on a much tighter leash than if you have LegitScript Certification, but a lot of companies aren’t eligible for LegitScript, like sober living homes –  and this is a very unfair exclusion.

Another problem is, that it’s very inconsistent from page to page what will be allowed by Facebook. In fact, even on the same page we have seen the enforcement change drastically over the course of months. It evolveddrastically over the course of last year.

Certain Topics and Phrases are Forbidden 

In order to not have your ad flagged (or worse), avoid  topics and words like:

  • Medication Assisted Treatment (mentioning Suboxone)
  • Any prescription drugs of abuse (OxyContin, percocet, etc)
  • Copy that implies the user has a problem: “If you are struggling, don’t wait, call us today.”

Tread Lightly with Facebook Promotions

Be careful if you suddenly realize you can advertise on Facebook.  Pay attention to their guidelines and do not test the boundaries. We’ve heard some horror stories: from individual users being banned to entire pages being suspended.  Talk with a pro (like someone on our team) to make sure your strategy and verbiage is beyond reproach.

But Didn’t You Say Facebook Wasn’t a Good Channel for Rehab Admissions?

We did say that!  Facebook is not, really, a good space to promote your program in the hopes of getting an admission.  Simply put, users aren’t on Facebook looking for treatment, they are on Facebook for enjoyment and to be participates in various communities.

However, Facebook is is great for brand awareness and building trust in potential admissions.  Also, Facebook’s very powerful regional targeting allows you to get your brand in front of the right kind of demographic.

We have helped a lot of treatment programs evolve from:

  • AWAY FROM:  ‘Promotional’ Ad copy (“Look at Our Facility Photos”  or “Contact Us Today to Get the Process Started”)
  • TO: Valuable and Appreciated Contributions to the Facebook  Community (See example to the right for an example of a post that was shared over 100 times)

So Where Are Users Really Looking for Treatment?

Google.  That’s where people search for help and that’s the crucial moment where you want your program to appear. It’s also our specialty to rank organically for great keywords, or rung Google Ads with a great ROI. Contact us for more info.

Get Help From the Best Treatment Marketing Experts

If you are not 100% thrilled with your digital presence, then you should contact us to have a look together.  We do end up working for some of the people who contact us, but have also made dozens of recommendations to treatment programs about  how they can improve their results on their own or with their existing team.  Email mike-at-hurstim<dot>com for more info. You can also send us a form or message us through our Facebook page.