Five-Step Guide to Planning a Marketing Campaign for Behavioral Health Organizations
Over the last 25 years, we’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of behavioral health organizations—from small community clinics to nationwide providers—helping them connect with the people who need their care the most. Along the way, we’ve seen firsthand the unique challenges behavioral health teams face when it comes to marketing. It’s not just about generating leads or increasing brand awareness; it’s about building trust, reducing stigma, and making it easy for clients to take that often difficult first step toward seeking help.
Through years of collaboration, trial, and refinement, we’ve developed a simple yet highly effective five-step approach to planning marketing campaigns specifically tailored for behavioral health organizations. This framework isn’t based on guesswork—it’s rooted in decades of experience, hundreds of campaigns, and a deep understanding of what works in this unique space.
Whether you’re trying to increase inquiries for your outpatient services, promote a new telehealth program, or educate the community about mental wellness, this guide will help you create campaigns that not only meet your goals but also support your team as you change lives.
The “Why”
STEP 1
Define Your Objective
It’s common for organizations to start working on campaigns with high-level goals but lacking specific targets. Taking the time to consider and set specific objectives is essential. Without them, an outreach initiative can lack purpose and struggle to gain traction.
What impact do you want to make?
Clarify your purpose, such as increasing new client inquiries by 25%, reducing appointment no-shows by 15%, or building awareness of specific services like trauma counseling or addiction recovery programs.
Focus on client outcomes.
Highlight how the campaign will help people access the care they need, this helps keep the whole team focused on the real goal, not just a metric.
Use SMART goals.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound – if a goal can’t be defined in these terms, it can’t really be measured and should be re-assessed.
Example Objective:
“Attract 50 new clients to our outpatient therapy program within three months by promoting our hyper-flexible and accessible model.”
The “Who”
STEP 2
Identify Your Target Audience
Knowing that you want to reach “people needing substance use counseling” is helpful, but that targeting might not be specific enough. If the program is designed for “people ages 18-35 within 20 miles of our downtown center who are unemployed or underemployed,” that level of specificity and clarity can help your campaign achieve better results.
Understand your client profiles.
Consider the demographics and psychographics of your ideal clients. Who are they? What challenges are they facing?
Focus on caregivers and referral sources.
Behavioral health groups often rely on recommendations from family members, medical professionals, or community organizations. Don’t overlook these referral sources.
Recognize the different segments of your target audience immediately.
Tailor your messaging to meet the unique needs of each group. For instance, some clients may respond best to messaging that reduces stigma, while others might need messages that highlight trust, safety, or accessibility.
Pro Tip:
Ensure your materials speak directly to their specific concerns and the solutions you offer for EACH audience you are trying to serve. This might mean creating 3-5 different versions of your ads to serve to each individual audience.
The “What”
STEP 3
Develop Your Core Message and Offer
Information on your team, your facility, and other aspects of your organization might be interesting and informative, but it is secondary to the benefits of engaging with you. First and foremost, potential clients want to know how you can help them with the issues they are facing. Once they determine that you can, the additional information can help solidify their decision to seek treatment.
Speak to the transformative benefits of your services…
Not so much on the processes your team uses. How will your services improve their quality of life or help them overcome obstacles?
Build trust and empathy.
Position your organization as a compassionate, reliable partner in their journey.
Address accessibility and support
Not so much on the processes your team uses. How will your services improve their quality of life or help them overcome obstacles?
Example Message:
“Your path to healing starts here. We provide compassionate care tailored to your schedule and your needs.”
Pro Tip:
Check out the book StoryBrand by Donald Miller to see more examples of how to shape your message.
The “What”
STEP 4
Choose the Right Channels and Strategies
Anecdotal evidence about where your audience gets information (“I know several people in our target demographic who are on LinkedIn.”) isn’t a strong foundation on which to build a successful campaign. You have to do as much research as necessary to know their information sources and preferences.
Prioritize channels where your audience engages.
Use Facebook and Instagram to connect with families, LinkedIn for professional referrals, and Google Ads for clients searching for immediate help.
Leverage community partnerships.
Collaborate with schools, hospitals, and nonprofits to spread your message organically (and often for free).
Meet your clients “where they are.”
Recognize that reaching clients “where they are” means tailoring your message to fit each channel’s unique tone and format. A coordinated, multi-channel approach is often required to effectively engage each audience segment you’ve identified.
Pro Tip:
Focus your efforts on the channels your clients trust most—partner with local organizations for credibility, use Google Ads to capture urgent searches, and prioritize social platforms where families and caregivers actively seek education or content around your services.
STEP 5
Measure, Optimize, and Scale
Behavioral health campaigns should never be conducted as “set it and forget it” activities. To maximize your results, you must continually assess a campaign’s progress, make changes as needed, and grow it as appropriate. While your initiatives will likely have defined start and end points, it is best to think of them not as projects but as processes.
Track client-focused metrics.
This can include figures like new inquiries made, appointments booked, attendance rates, and engagement with your content.
Monitor campaign impact.
Use analytics tools to assess digital performance (e.g., ad clicks, website traffic, or social media shares). This kind of tracking CAN be executed well while maintaining your organization’s HIPAA compliance. You might just need to work with an agency that specializes in this space to avoid non-compliance.
Track and record feedback from your community partners and referral sources.
This anecdotal feedback can sometimes offer the best insights.
Refine your approach.
If one message or channel resonates strongly, replicate it in future campaigns or create variations for different services.
Track client-focused metrics.
Behavioral health is an ongoing need, so ensure you have strategies for long-term engagement with your audience.
Example:
If your one video on mindfulness resonates well, create a series on mindfulness, amplify those videos with targeted ads, and share success stories from clients (with consent or possibly anonymously) to showcase real-life outcomes from mindfulness-focused therapy/counseling.
BONUS TIP
The Power of Storytelling
Psychologists long ago observed that people buy on emotion and subsequently justify their purchases with logic. That’s why car commercials tend to show people driving surrounded by beautiful scenery rather than engine or seating compartment schematics.
That observation was made about purchasing consumer products, but the same decision-making process applies to services like behavioral health treatment. When people can see themselves in your marketing campaigns—their current challenges, their struggles to overcome them, and ultimately the successful outcome they are hoping for—they are more likely to engage with you. After reaching that decision based on emotions, they will likely justify it by noting that you have a skilled team of caring people operating out of a nice, nearby facility.
So, it is crucial to weave a narrative into and around your campaign to make it emotionally engaging. People connect more with stories than with raw data, so focus on the transformation your service provides.
Marketing Teams and Service Providers: Alignment Is Essential
Remember that your marketing team and service providers must be “on the same page.” Discrepancies between the promises made in marketing materials and the realities of service delivery can severely damage trust, which is the foundation of any successful behavioral health relationship.
When marketing campaigns accurately reflect the services offered, they set realistic expectations for potential clients. This prevents disappointment and ensures that individuals seeking treatment get the help they want and need. For example, if a campaign highlights specialized trauma therapy, your organization must ensure that therapists with that specific expertise are available. Similarly, if a campaign emphasizes a compassionate and client-centered approach, every interaction, from the initial phone call to the therapy sessions, has to embody those values.
In fact, marketing’s alignment should extend to the organization’s mission and vision. Campaigns should not just promote services but also communicate and reinforce core values and guiding principles. Involving service providers in the development of marketing strategies is a great way to ensure that these values are accurately represented. This collaboration also creates a sense of ownership and ensures that everyone in the organization is working toward a common goal.
Ultimately, a unified approach to marketing produces a sense of authenticity and builds trust with potential clients. When people see that an organization’s marketing messages are consistent with its service delivery, they are more likely to feel comfortable seeking help. This can lead to improved client outcomes and a stronger reputation for the organization.
