Expanding into new market for a virtual addiction treatment company

Expanding into new markets during a pandemic created an interesting challenge for a virtual addiction treatment company. Already designed to provide online and in-person care through web and other applications, the strategy for this program centered on positioning key spokespersons as experts in their field.

The initial program accomplished two goals:

1. All key media spokespersons completed media training sessions.
2. The preliminary six- month outreach efforts, which were focused on media relations in specific regions.

CAMPAIGN INITIATIVES

These media relations efforts targeted specific regions for the states that were identified by the company’s expansion plans. These included New Jersey, Alaska, California, Michigan, and Washington. The program, which launched in May 2020, was originally designed to distribute one press release a month.

THO adjusted strategies and started to create and pitch media advisories highlighting virtual addiction treatment center co- founders as interview sources. Other clinicians were also brought into the program to discuss the company and how its treatment programs worked.

CAMPAIGN RESULTS

This strategy provided a strong basis for placements in broadcast, digital news platforms, magazines and newspapers that include Yahoo News, NJTV and Alaska Business. All of this has resulted in consistent and ongoing outreach. To date, coverage for the year includes newspapers, magazines, broadcast and key digital news platforms such as:

• Yahoo News ABC 23
• NJTV
• AOL.video
• The Observer CNBNews
• News Break
• Los Angeles News Observer
• Detroit Free Press Chronicle Press

While the first couple of months were focused on pitching regional coverage, THO shifted the outreach to focus on securing limited interview opportunities with top executives on a national basis. Results show approximately 18 placements with an ad value that exceeds $83 , 000. In addition, the coverage received continues to expand the firm’ s digital footprint, which will support online search activity which drives consumers to the virtual services.

Total media placements for the first six months included:

Total circulation: 142,186,233
2020 ad equivalent costs to date: $534,984
Cost per impression: $1,04,952

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Leeza Hoyt

Founder and President at The Hoyt Organization

With over 25 years of experience, Leeza’s campaigns have garnered over 150 awards from top public relations organizations nationwide. Additionally, THO serves as the Los Angeles area partner of the Public Relations Global Network, granting clients access to over 50 global markets. The agency was also named to one of the top 200 firms in the country by Forbes magazine in 2021, and she has been named by Globest.com as a Woman of Influence and a Woman to Watch, among other designations.

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