How to Market Your ABA Therapy Biz Without Losing Your SH!T (or Sense of Humor)
2024 is halfway over... 2025 is quickly approaching! Have you hit your marketing goals? Does your ABA therapy business have a steady stream of potential clients and prospective employees?
If not, it’s time to rock your marketing game with strategies that boost your presence AND fit your budget.
Ready to embark on this stellar journey? Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways 🚀
Multi-Channel Marketing: Combine in-person and digital strategies for maximum impact.
Website Trustworthiness: Ensure your website conveys credibility and offers easy contact options.
Ethical Marketing: Adhere to BACB guidelines for soliciting reviews and making public statements.
Local SEO: Focus on local SEO to attract nearby clients.
Relationships: Build strong referral networks and a reputation for excellent care.
Ethical Considerations in ABA Therapy Business Marketing 🛡️
Marketing ABA therapy business services comes with a unique set of ethical responsibilities. According to the BACB’s Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Section 5, here are some key guidelines:
No Soliciting Testimonials from Current Clients: It’s a big no-no. If you run a multi-disciplinary practice, it's best to be conservative and still avoid testimonials.
Avoid Soliciting Testimonials from Former Clients Likely to Re-enter Services: Think ahead. If the client is likely to NEVER return, you can consider using testimonials. Examples: client has aged out of your programs or service offerings, client no longer meets medical necessity, or client has "graduated" or currently needs a different level of care or other related services. Still be cautious and explain the dual-relationship with the caregiver.
Stick to Behavioral Interventions: No linking non-behavioral interventions to ABA. Having worked in adult settings, schools, and in multi-disciplinary practices, this one can be TRICKY! However, just keep your ABA services on a separate section of your website and treat the other services like separate businesses in terms of marketing. OR do collaborations and care coordination deliberately. THEN make sure you are clear on job roles/responsibilities or rather services delivered by each therapeutic practice.
No Promises of Specific Outcomes: Be realistic and honest. Don't promise outcomes. Honestly, how many companies have language similar to these statements on their websites and marketing materials: "improve client outcomes", "provide quality ABA therapy", and "lead the way in Autism care". Or the oldy but goody change/transform/empower lives... (ok... so I know I am being skeptical and a bit of a crabby-patty here! You know it's true!)
If you work at or own an ABA-based business (in any industry), be aware of your responsibility to notify your marketing team of these guidelines! Your marketing team likely is unaware of our ethical guidelines, through no fault of their own! Trust me, if you approach the subject with kindness and honesty, you will likely not be rejected. A little tact and grace go a long way!
Best Practices for Marketing Your ABA Therapy Practice 🌟
1. Mobile-Friendly Performance Website Design
Why It Matters: Mobile traffic is growing, and a mobile-optimized website ensures that potential clients can access your services easily from any device. No one likes looking something up on their phone only to have to struggle with the size of the font or configuration of the website.
Tips to Implement:
Responsive Design: Ensure your website adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes.
Fast Load Times: Keep your site speedy.
User-Friendly Navigation: Make it easy to find information.
Accessibility Matters: Ensure you are using descriptive text, easy-to-read fonts and other accessible web design features (e.g., videos need captions)
Pro Tip: “A mobile-friendly website is like the perfect cup of coffee—essential and revitalizing.” ☕️
2. SEO: Search Engine Optimization OR The Secret Sauce
Why It Matters: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is your ticket to getting found online. This is the main reason your websites pop up on page 1 or 26 of a web-based search. (yes, there are paid sponsor placements too, but trust me, you WANT your website to be on the 1st page of a search!
Tips to Implement:
Local SEO: Optimize for local searches like “ABA therapy near me” to attract nearby clients. You can help by adding links and content on your websites that highlight or feature the towns, counties, states, and/or countries you provide services. If you are providing telehealth, be sure to add content regarding locations for telehealth services as well.
Keyword Research: Use tools like Semrush (Innovation Moon currently uses Semrush) to target the best keywords. Semrush has both free and paid plans. They will send you reports and give suggestions on ways you can improve your SEO content. We also love using Content Shake AI, which is a smart writing tool that lets you create ready-to-rank content with ease. It combines AI capabilities with Semrush's powerful SEO data! You can find other platforms here on Zapier's blog The Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2024.
Quality Content: Create VALUABLE content that answers common questions and provides insights. No one wants fluff or spam in their inboxes or on their phones. Make sure that the content you add to your sites is valuable to your audience!
Budget-Friendly Tip: Use free tools, hire a freelance SEO expert, or marketing team for a few hours a week ($25–$49 per hour) or for a flat-monthly rate.
3. PPC: Pay-Per-Click Advertising or PPC Ads
Why It Matters: PPC ads get you in front of the right eyes, fast. These can be on google or any web-browser and also on social media sites.
Tips to Implement:
Targeted Campaigns: Focus on specific demographics and geographic areas.
Retargeting: Reach people who’ve already visited your site.
Budget Management: Start small and scale up as you see results.
Price Range: $500–$2,000 per month. Be cautious with this, the price can quickly increase and won't always offer the return on your investment that you are hoping for. I would use my money hiring a marketer first and see what they suggest. It might feel great (fancy-like) to be on page 1 or at the top of a search, but if you are a startup, small or mid-size business your marketing budget won't be able to compete with venture-backed, private-equity ABA companies. Or plan strategic times of the year to use PPC ads (like the beginning of spring/summer, late fall/winter (when insurance plans are renewing or open for enrollment) and end of summer/before the start of school in the fall).
4. Content Marketing: Tell Your Story
Why It Matters: Quality content establishes your authority and helps educate potential clients about the benefits of ABA therapy.
Tips to Implement:
Blog Posts: Write about ABA therapy, autism-related tools/tech, collabs within your community, local events, and tips for parents.
Videos: Create engaging videos showcasing your services and any other frequently searched topics related to your services.
Visuals and Infographics: Use visuals to explain complex concepts. Who doesn't love a graphic tutorial, infographic or (my favorite... obviously) a well-placed meme or giphy!
Budget-Friendly Tip: DIY your content! Use free tools like Canva for graphics, visual posts, lessons (AND so much more... if you can't tell WE LOVE CANVA at Innovation Moon!) and your smartphone for videos. Hire freelancers for writing and editing ($50–$200 per post) or ask your Gen-Z / Millenial employees (e.g., BTs, BCBAs) if any of them want to help with producing content (paid of course!).
5. Social Media Marketing: Be Socially Savvy
Why It Matters: Social media platforms are powerful tools for engaging with your community and building brand awareness.
Tips to Implement:
Regular Posts: Stay active with regular updates. Quality content is less important since the pandemic, influencers are often highly successful with minimal equipment AND without any formal training in marketing or social media. Posts with links, videos, and pictures almost always bring a larger audience and are more likely to be shared or clickable. Short-form content (think TikTok, YouTube Shorts) are hitting it big right now. That being said, there will always be an audience looking for long-form video content.
Freemiums and Downloads: Who doesn't love a good freemium, trial membership, or download? Just keep your audience in mind and use your website to host the content. You're email list will grow faster than you can imagine if you post the right content AND bring VALUE to your audience.
Engage with Followers: Respond to comments and messages. If you build it they will come (the old saying is true), but in today's market, you need to engage with your audience, bring VALUE (I think I have said this before), and be SMART about the content you post. They will come if you build it, but they might leave just as fast if you don't capture their interest right away!
Run Ads: Use targeted ads to reach potential clients. (Again... I suggest speaking with a marketing company before paying for target ads).
Price Range: $500–$10,000 per month.
Don't forget about the power of #Hashtags!
The key to hashtags is in knowing commonly used hashtags for your industry for your audience. Think about your audience and what they are likely searching for on social media and what services or needs are they searching to fulfill.
You can also use some platforms to help you narrow down hashtags that will help your posts. Think specific, but not too specific...
This... #ABAtherapy or #AutismTherapyNearMe
Not This... #ABAtherapyOshkosh or #ABATherapyCornvilleIN
Some EXTRA Hashtags: #telehealth #parenttraining #inhomeABA #clinicbasedABA #schoolbasedABA #compassionatecareABA #traumainformedABA #playbasedABA #naturalenvironment #DTT #SBT #positivebehaviorsupports #behaviorplans
6. Marketing Automation: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Why It Matters: Automation helps streamline your marketing efforts, allowing you to nurture leads more effectively.
Tips to Implement:
Email Campaigns: Automate follow-ups and newsletters.
Lead Nurturing: Use automated workflows to engage leads.
Analytics: Track performance to refine strategies.
Budget-Friendly Tip: Use affordable tools like Mailchimp or HubSpot. Basic plans start at around $50 per month. You can even use integrations with your website and the email tools. Some website platforms also offer email campaigns or marketing CRMS. Look at what you already use, before signing up for another service.
I'm not saying that cold calling isn't important in nurturing your client list, however, so much of our communication in today's world can be automated or handled electronically. Save your human-power and your awesome personality for meaningful touch points (e.g., discovery calls, interviews, positive news) with your clients or potential clients.
7. Attribution Technology: Measure Success
Why It Matters: Understanding the customer journey helps you optimize your marketing strategy and improve ROI. What ABA business doesn't want to see the data to make smart, informed decisions? This is no different for your marketing activities. Collect baseline, apply an intervention, track data, collect social validity, rinse, and repeat.
Tips to Implement:
Track Conversions: See which channels drive the most leads.
Analyze Data: Use insights to improve campaigns.
Adjust Strategies: Focus on high-performing tactics.
Pro Tip: Attribution is like a detective—uncovering the clues to your marketing success. If you find you get very few potential clients from Instagram and far more from Physician Referrals or Facebook Mom Groups, there you have it. I am not saying you need to trash your Insta account. Young parents may be more likely to use Insta or TikTok or Threads (or whatever other new platforms exist) and if that is your audience, you just need to tweak your content and make sure you are hitting your intended audience. Millennial and Gen Z parents are likely to be on Facebook. TikTok and YouTube seem to be equal-opportunity social media platforms (one-size-fits-all). LinkedIn might not be great for parents/caregivers, BUT you can build your network of related services, and community partnerships, AND use LinkedIn to help with hiring employees.
Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck 💡
Limited Budget? No Problem!
DIY Content: Write blogs, create social media posts, and design graphics yourself, hire within, or use freelancers/contractors/students
Freelancers: Hire freelancers for specific tasks instead of full-time staff. Your staff are likely able to produce great content, but maybe you want to spend that dough on a marketer who can analyze and plan your marketing strategy. One that will meet with you to revise when things aren't working well and celebrate when they are!
Free Tools: Utilize free or low-cost marketing tools (e.g., Canva, Google Analytics).
Example Budget Allocation for a Small Practice:
SEO: $500/month
PPC: $500/month
Social Media: $300/month
Content Marketing: $200/month (DIY + Freelancers)
Marketing Automation: $100/month
Final Thought: Marketing your ABA therapy practice is planning a trip to the moon. With the right research, planning, people, energy, tools, funding, and science, your ABA therapy business is likely to complete your mission of growing your leads, whether those are clients or employees!
Happy marketing, Space Force! 🌕
Suzanne Juzwik, MA, BCBA, LBA
Original post: 7/17/2024
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Launchpad 🚀: an ABA Business Owner Community! Are you looking to elevate your ABA therapy business to new heights? Join Launchpad, a community for ABA business owners!
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Benefits of Joining Launchpad:
Share Ideas and Insights: Connect with fellow ABA business owners and share innovative ideas, strategies, and best practices. It's like having a team of experts at your fingertips!
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Join Launchpad today and take advantage of the collective wisdom and resources to propel your ABA therapy business forward. Because together, we can achieve more! 🌟
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Remember, in the world of ABA business, collaboration and community can make all the difference. Let’s grow and succeed together with Launchpad!
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