Recovery Reach: Behavioral Health Marketing and Business Insights

What separates treatment centers that grow from ones that burn through agencies? Branding, trust and ethical lead generation.In this Recovery.com podcast, Cliff McDonald talks with Zach Gross and Jake Gorman, co-founders of MGMT Digital, a digital marketing agency focused solely on behavioral healthcare. They break down why good branding must come before lead generation, how to build trust with skeptical operators, what realistic SEO timelines and acquisition costs look like, and the underrated power of alumni programs, clean CRM data and diversified lead sources. They also share their personal recovery stories and why every number in marketing represents a person in crisis.You will learn the difference between branding and marketing, how manager-led teams improve accountability, why niching down helped MGMT grow, and what behavioral health leaders should prioritize now around AI search, data integrity and admissions.

Advertise on Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/
Learn more about MGMT: https://mgmtdigital.com/

Timestamps:
00:00 Zachs road to recovery and early work in search marketing
00:48 Meet Zach and Jake from MGMT Digital
01:24 What is MGMT Digital and who they serve
02:51 The manager-built company model
04:12 Why staying niche in behavioral health wins
06:00 Acting as a full marketing function for providers
07:12 Consulting beyond marketing for startups
10:09 Why operators distrust agencies
11:00 How MGMT builds trust through education and transparency
12:48 Sound strategy and over-communication
14:09 Setting honest expectations for SEO and cost per admission
18:39 Branding vs marketing and why branding comes first
25:30 Zach and Jakes personal connection to recovery
33:12 Core values: work ethic, communication and transparency
35:56 Every number is a person
39:21 Saying no to bad-fit clients
40:30 Underrated: alumni programs. Overrated: fear around AI search
42:06 Bad advice they ignored about niching and team structure
45:33 What leaders should do next: CRM data and diversification
48:06 Closing takeaways

Advertise on Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/


#AddictionRecovery #MentalHealth #BehavioralHealth 

Top Questions Answered
What does an ethical behavioral health marketing agency actually do?
What is the difference between branding and marketing for treatment centers?
How long should SEO take and what is a realistic cost per admission?
Why do treatment centers burn through agencies and how do you rebuild trust?
What is the most underrated growth lever for rehabs right now?
How should leaders prepare for AI search, CRM tracking and lead diversification?

In this conversation, Cliff McDonald, Chief Growth Officer at Recovery.com, sits down with Derek Hyman, Founder of Scalable Growth, to talk about what it really takes to grow behavioral healthcare programs with integrity.

Derek shares lessons from leading digital marketing for a large treatment provider, why only 6 percent of website traffic drove most admissions revenue, and why he started Scalable Growth to be a true growth partner instead of a traditional agency.They cover why marketing in this space is different, why agency turnover is so high, the problem with overpriced websites, why AI is overrated for differentiation, and why full patient experience is the most underrated growth lever in treatment.If you lead a treatment program, work in admissions or marketing, or care about ethical growth in behavioral health, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about advertising with Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

Scalable Growth is a digital marketing partner focused exclusively on behavioral healthcare, helping independent and regional programs build sustainable growth through strategy, transparency, and long term partnership.
Learn more: https://scalablegrowth.co/

Chapters:
00:00 - The 6 percent rule that drove most revenue
02:15 - Why behavioral healthcare marketing is different
02:54 - What is Scalable Growth
06:12 - Why Derek started his own company
07:48 - Agency vs growth partner
10:36 - Who Scalable Growth serves best
14:18 - Why agency turnover is so high
17:21 - Transparency and honest advice
19:51 - The problem with overpriced websites
24:51 - The isolation and learning curve of entrepreneurship
27:00 - Mentors, network, and perspective
29:36 - Organic growth without a business plan
35:18 - Only partnering with clinically sound programs
37:51 - Getting to know Derek beyond work
41:33 - What is overrated: AI
44:42 - What is underrated: patient experience

Main Questions Answered

What is Scalable Growth and who does it help?
What is the 6 percent rule in treatment marketing?
Why is marketing for addiction and mental health different from other industries?
Why do treatment centers switch agencies so often?
What separates a true growth partner from a traditional agency?
Are expensive website rebuilds worth it for ROI?
What was hardest about leaving in-house leadership to start a company?
What is overrated in behavioral healthcare marketing right now?
What is underrated and where should leaders focus next?

#behavioralhealthcare  #addictiontreatment  #mentalhealth

Go inside Recovery Centers of America with Senior Director of Growth Intelligence Nick Portanova.

Advertise on Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

Learn more about RCA: https://recoverycentersofamerica.com/

In this Recovery Reach interview, Cliff from Recovery.com explores how RCA grew to 12 inpatient facilities and 1200 beds across the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest, offering detox, residential treatment, outpatient care and primary mental health care. Nick shares why access is their core differentiator, with 24/7 admissions, under 10 second answer times and under 3 percent missed calls.You will also hear Nick's personal addiction recovery story, from growing up with parents in recovery to a dozen treatment stays by age 21 to 10 years building a career at RCA, plus how data, Salesforce, Google Ads and AI shape growth, why connection beats willpower, and why stigma around behavioral health is finally shifting.

Timestamps:
00:00 - How RCA answers crisis calls in under 10 seconds
00:45 - Welcome to Recovery Reach with Nick Portanova
01:18 - What is Recovery Centers of America: 12 facilities and 1200 beds
03:33 - Detox, residential and full continuum of care explained
04:03 - New primary mental health programs in Pennsylvania and Indianapolis
04:30 - What makes RCA different: access to addiction treatment
06:54 - 24/7 admissions and mission center
08:57 - Nick's role: Senior Director of Growth Intelligence
11:06 - Data, analytics and finding patterns in behavioral health
12:42 - Tools for growth: Salesforce, Google Ads, Claude and Qlik
14:51 - The opposite of addiction is connection
17:36 - Growing up with parents in recovery and testing genetics
18:30 - A dozen treatment centers by age 21
20:36 - Second chances, 12 step program and To Employers
21:18 - Why he does this work: watching the glow come back
23:18 - Golf as a healthy outlet in addiction recovery
24:42 - What is overrated and underrated in behavioral health
27:00 - How stigma reduction and non alcoholic options show progress
29:24 - Worst advice: follow your gut vs follow the data

Top Questions Answered
What is Recovery Centers of America and where are they located?
How many beds and facilities does RCA operate and what levels of care do they offer?
How quickly can someone get into addiction treatment through 24/7 admissions?
What does detox, residential treatment and outpatient care include?
What is primary mental health inpatient care and who is it for?
What tools and data drive growth in behavioral health marketing?
Why is connection more important than willpower in addiction recovery?
How does family history and support impact recovery outcomes?

#addictiontreatment  #addictionrecovery  #behavioralhealth

In this episode of Recovery Reach, host Clint Malley talks with Adrienne Wilkerson, founder and CEO of Beacon Media and Marketing, about what really drives growth for addiction treatment and mental health brands right now.

Advertise your treatment center on recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

Learn more about Beacon Media and Marketing: https://beaconmm.com

Adrienne breaks down why reviews are so hard to get in behavioral health, how to respond to negative reviews without losing trust, why most websites fail to convert, and why empathy plus authority is the formula that wins. 

She also shares her take on AI as a therapist, how her team uses AI as a co-pilot without losing the human connection, and what leaders should do next.You will hear how Beacon started in Alaska, why they niched into mental and behavioral health in 2019, how they survived losing a third of clients during COVID, and the messaging shift that builds trust fast with families searching for care.

00:00 Losing a third of clients during COVID
00:51 Meet Adrienne Wilkerson of Beacon Media
01:03 From graphic design to digital
02:57 Launching Beacon in 2012
05:12 Why they niched into mental health in 2019
08:21 Why reviews are the hardest part
09:03 Marketing to loved ones, not the patient
10:36 Why bad reviews add credibility
12:21 How to ask for reviews the right way
14:30 What Beacon does today
16:09 Websites that build trust fast
17:18 You have a trust problem, not a branding problem
22:15 The COVID pivot that saved the agency
24:24 Clients, AI content, and the return to human
25:51 Empathy plus authority equals trust
27:00 Growing up with a therapist dad
29:27 Personal connection to PTSD and recovery
35:30 Overrated: AI as a therapist
42:51 Underrated: vulnerability and hard conversations
45:45 The worst advice: think too small
48:45 How leaders should use AI next
52:36 AI as co-pilot, not the pilot
53:51 Where to find Adrienne

#RecoveryReach #mentalhealth  #addictiontreatment

What actually makes an addiction treatment center effective? 

In this episode, Cliff McDonald sits down with Matt Amato, Chief Strategy Officer at All In Solutions, to break down the side of recovery most people never see — how treatment providers grow, why family involvement is the most underrated piece of recovery, and what leaders should stop over-valuing.Matt shares the story of scaling All In Solutions from a small South Florida program in 2012 to a 240-bed, multi-state provider — plus the hard lessons from acquiring existing facilities, building culture, and his own path from front-line staff to chief strategy officer.

Learn more about advertising on Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

Learn more about All In Solutions: https://www.allinsolutions.com/

0:00 — The Hardest Season: Taking Over Existing Facilities
1:14 — Who Is All In Solutions?
2:38 — Matt's Role as Chief Strategy Officer
3:34 — How They Decide Where to Expand
6:00 — 240 Beds & the Continuum of Care
9:00 — Why "All In" Isn't Just a Name
11:42 — Matt's Journey From BHT to Chief Strategy Officer
14:30 — What Makes Them Different: Intimacy & Family
15:50 — Family Involvement: The Underrated Key to Recovery
20:23 — Building Culture That Lasts
22:02 — The Real Cost of Acquisitions
30:47 — Matt's Personal Recovery Story
39:00 — Underrated vs. Overrated in Behavioral Healthcare
42:20 — The "Fill the Beds" Advice That Was Wrong
43:17 — What Leaders Should Focus On Next: Compliance & AI
44:59 — Conclusion

#AddictionRecovery #FamilyTherapy #recoveryjourney

How do treatment centers actually find patients — and why does leaning on ads alone set them up to fail? In this episode, Clint Mally, VP of Content at Recovery.com, sits down with Gary Garth, founder of elev8, a marketing agency that works exclusively with addiction and mental health treatment providers.Gary shares his unlikely path from Google channel sales into behavioral health, what drove him there personally, and why he calls much of the industry "SEO snake oil." He breaks down his "360-degree" approach to patient acquisition — demand generation, lead management, and admissions enablement — and makes the case that building a real brand and an alumni program matters more than the next paid click.

Advertise with Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

Learn more about elev8: https://elev8.io/

⏱ Timestamps
0:00 — Gary's Story & Why He Started elev8
1:21 — What elev8 Does: 360-Degree Patient Acquisition
2:47 — From Google to Behavioral Health
3:30 — The "SEO Snake Oil" Problem
4:42 — The Hardest Season: Learning to Fire Clients
6:06 — Why This Work "Means Everything"
7:27 — Overrated vs. Underrated in Treatment Marketing
8:03 — Referral Partnerships & Alumni Programs
9:54 — The Marketing Advice That Was Wrong
10:00 — The Future: AI Visibility & Building a Brand
10:51 — Where to Find Gary & elev8

#AddictionRecovery #RehabMarketing #recoveryjourney

Camille Hildebrand, Founder & CEO of Avery Lane for Women, didn't set out to build a treatment center — she started as a 19-year-old office manager, sober herself at 17. Ten years later, she's grown Avery Lane into a trauma-informed program known for a culture other founders in the space actively study.

In this episode, Camille shares the playbook behind that growth:
• How she scaled Avery Lane without losing the personal touch
• Why she treats staff retention as a clinical outcome, not just an HR metric
• Her approach to accessible, in-network care without compromising quality
• Leading through COVID-era staffing crises
• Brain spotting and other modalities she built the program around
• Her advice to founders: reconnect to your "why" before you scale further

For fellow founders and leaders in behavioral health — this is a real look at what building and scaling a treatment center actually takes.

0:00 — "Just Go For It": Early Advice From Doubters
0:57 — Introducing Avery Lane for Women
2:24 — Camille's Story: Sober at 17
7:03 — Finding Mentors in the Industry
8:03 — Growing Up an Entrepreneur, Learning on the Fly
11:00 — Making Treatment Accessible & In-Network
13:33 — What Makes Avery Lane Different: Culture & Innovative Therapy
17:39 — Culture, Low Turnover & Mentoring Women Into Leadership
20:03 — Surviving COVID and Growing Pains
23:21 — Why Leaders Need Support Too
26:54 — Her Awakening in Wilderness Treatment
33:03 — What's Underrated in Behavioral Health: Human Connection
35:24 — Proving the Doubters Wrong
38:21 — Advice for Behavioral Health Leaders: Reconnect to Your Why

#TreatmentCenterCEO #BehavioralHealthLeadership #TraumaInformedCare

How did a boutique Florida treatment center grow into a 21-location, multi-state behavioral health provider? In this episode, we sit down with Guardian's Chief Strategy Officer DJ Prince to break down the real strategy behind scaling rehab center marketing — from digital-first admissions to building a business development team from scratch.

We cover:
• Why Guardian moved from small boutique facilities to larger, centralized 70-150 bed campuses
• How shrinking reimbursement rates and inflation are forcing treatment centers to rethink margins
• Why lifetime value (LTV) matters more than cost per lead in addiction treatment marketing
• How AI is disrupting digital marketing channels — and reshaping business development
• The future of behavioral health: predictive AI interventions, BI systems, and clinician support tools

Whether you're in treatment center marketing, healthcare operations, or just curious how addiction recovery businesses scale responsibly — this conversation is packed with real, tactical insight.

Interested in becoming an advertiser on Recovery.com: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

Check out Guardian Recovery: https://www.guardianrecovery.com/

0:00 — Intro: The Rebrand Story Behind the Tattoo
0:53 — What Guardian Does & How It Grew to 21 Locations
5:08 — Scaling Quality Care Through Reimbursement Rate Cuts
14:18 — Why Guardian Kept the Plymouth House Name Alive
16:06 — From Admissions to Chief Strategy Officer: A Personal Journey
26:06 — Overrated vs. Underrated in Treatment Center Marketing
35:06 — AI, Business Development, and the Future of Behavioral Health

#RehabMarketing #AddictionTreatment #BehavioralHealth

Use reverse content marketing to stabilize your treatment center census. This framework helps you prioritize high-fit leads fast. Most treatment center marketing fails because it focuses on top-of-funnel traffic before understanding what actually converts. 

Example Treatment Center Call Flow: https://recovery.com/podcasts/behavioral-health-call-flow/

16 Must-Haves For Your Location Page: https://recovery.com/podcasts/must-haves-location-page/

This video walks through a six-step framework designed to align your outreach with your most profitable admissions. By starting from the end of the sales funnel, you can stop wasting time on unqualified inquiries and focus on the patients who are the best clinical and financial fit.We specifically look at a 1-3 lead scoring method that integrates payment, clinical, and demographic data. Implementing this system clarifies which leads require immediate attention and which ones are not a match for your facility. If you are struggling with census growth, this approach provides a clear path to organizing your intake process more effectively.Subscribe for weekly treatment center marketing breakdowns, and comment below if you want to see a full breakdown of the 1-3 lead scoring criteria.

Most treatment centers are losing admissions without even realizing it… and it’s not your marketing—it’s your process. In this video, we break down 7 proven admissions strategies that top behavioral health centers use to increase conversions, improve call handling, and turn more inquiries into life-changing placements.

Read the full article: https://recovery.com/podcasts/best-behavioral-health-admissions-process/
Example call flow: https://recovery.com/podcasts/behavioral-health-call-flow/
Become an advertiser: https://providers.recovery.com/expand-your-reach/

If you’ve ever wondered why your admissions team isn’t converting calls, struggling with low answer rates, or missing opportunities after form submissions, this is your blueprint. You’ll learn how to build a structured admissions call flow, improve your answer rate to 90–95%, and implement systems like call scoring, rapid response automation, and overflow support to capture every opportunity.

We also dive into advanced tactics like creating an “objection handling playbook,” using AI role play tools for admissions training, and building a feedback loop between marketing and admissions to maximize ROI. These are the same strategies used by high-performing behavioral health call centers to increase revenue and help more people get the care they need.

Whether you run a rehab center, mental health facility, or admissions team, this video will show you how to fix your admissions process fast and turn it into a scalable growth engine.

Watch until the end to discover how small changes in speed, structure, and training can dramatically increase your admissions rate.

👉 If you found this helpful, subscribe for more behavioral health marketing and admissions strategies, and share this with your team.

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 – Why Admissions Matter More Than Marketing
00:45 – The Power of a Structured Call Flow
02:15 – How to Improve Your Answer Rate
03:20 – What to Do When You Miss Calls
04:30 – Scoring Calls to Track Real Performance
06:00 – Speed to Lead: Why 5 Minutes Matters
07:00 – Building an Objection Handling Playbook
08:30 – Role Play & AI Training for Admissions Teams
09:45 – Turning Systems Into a Growth Engine

❓ Questions the Video Answers:

How can I improve admissions conversion rates?
What is a good answer rate for call centers?
How do treatment centers handle inbound calls effectively?
What is a behavioral health admissions call flow?
How fast should you respond to leads?
Why am I losing leads after form submissions?
What happens if you miss inbound calls?
How do you qualify admissions leads?
What is a call scoring system for admissions?
How can I train my admissions team better?
What are common objections in rehab admissions?
How do you increase call center performance?
What tools improve admissions processes?
How does speed to lead impact conversions?
How do top rehab centers increase admissions?

🔍 Hashtags:
#behavioralhealth #marketingstrategy #salestraining