Differentiation As A Strategic Challenge

Of the many challenges behavioral health provider organization executives face, one of the most overlooked is the “marketing challenge.” New market competition, payer pressure on volumes, and workforce shortages mean more organizations have made competitive positioning more important than ever. Yet marketing remains underutilized as a strategic tool.

Marketing executives working at mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) provider organizations report differentiation from their competition (22%) and reaching multiple audiences (16%) have been their biggest problems (see Behavioral Health Marketing In 2025). Many are also struggling with the changing landscape of marketing tools (13%), budget constraints (11%), internal marketing . . .