By Laura Lovett | Behavioral Health Business | August 22, 2025
Despite endless marketing options, nothing quite beats word-of-mouth referrals when it comes to clients finding the right substance use disorder (SUD) provider.
Building a brand in the addiction care industry is all about upholding an organizational reputation, according to industry insiders at Behavioral Health Business’ Addiction Treatment Forum.
“The individuals who come to your treatment centers, who receive your services, are your biggest spokespeople,” Robert D’Annibale, senior director of corporate development at Crossroads, said during the Addiction Treatment Forum. “No matter what type of marketing strategy or outreach strategy, their testimonials about this service that they received goes a long way, not only in highlighting what we do at Crossroads and what we’re able to achieve together, but also through referral relationships, through business development efforts.”
Crossroads is a substance use disorder provider with more than 100 locations across nine states. The organization has been actively growing. In July, it acquired Family Health Services, a Pennsylvania-based outpatient SUD treatment provider.
But Crossroads isn’t the only business that heavily relies on word-of-mouth recommendations. Millennium Health has historically been a 97% referral business.
One of the best ways for providers to ensure that clients are happy with services is to hire employees who are passionate about their work and deliver high-quality services.
“We strongly believe that any organization is as good as the people who are doing the work. So as far as the clinicians are concerned, it’s about getting down and dirty with folks, and helping them through things,” Derek Bylsma, executive director of Millennium Counseling Center, said during the panel. “And so I think for us, the focus has been really on making sure we’re hiring and keeping the right people.”
Chicago-based Millennium Counseling Center focuses on caring for individuals with SUD. The center has special programs designed to care for athlete wellness.
Many of the providers in the space have lived experiences, which can be critical to the company culture.
“Many of the employees that we hire have also been in recovery. And so it allows for us to really focus on delivering high-quality care, focused on excellent clinical outcomes,” D’Annibale said. “And so by being able to highlight not only our care model and how we assist and help, but underlying it, underlining our superior outcomes, is something that resonates with our individuals, and we do that through various social media channels.”
A company’s culture and brand are also crucial when it comes to a growth pathway for the future and looking for an exit strategy.
“One of the things that I was brought on to lead at crossroads is our M&A strategy, and one of the things that we highly focus on when looking to build or acquire new clinics is their culture, understanding that the care model comes first, and making sure that that is being the core of their operational strategy,” D’Annibale said.
Presenting clinical outcomes and data can be a tool in highlighting a provider’s success.
However, numbers don’t always tell the full story. The way that data is presented and gathered can vary from provider to provider. It’s essential to be transparent with potential patients.
“As a person who knows math and statistics pretty well, I also know that there are a lot of different ways to tell a story. People are always going to pick the best way to tell it, which is understandable,” Bylsma said. “But… if we’re saying that we have a 70% success rate, does that really mean that 70% of the people who come to us when they’re in trouble are now moving on in life, and are now doing great? I think that you really have to look at how we’re having that conversation and how we’re presenting that, because I think that’s part of what has created some skepticism within the industry.”
Patients are looking for transparent and honest messaging around their care, according to the panelists.