Ketamine marketing on Facebook has suddenly gotten very interesting. In a case with some interesting twists, Facebook is now allowing user-generated content (UGC) that talks about personal experiences using ketamine.
What does that mean for marketing your ketamine practice on Facebook? Let’s review the case to see what happened, what was decided, and how it impacts your ability to advertise your ketamine clinic.
Where It Started
A user created a post on Facebook/Meta, describing their experience with using ketamine for treatment of anxiety and depression. The user’s review was highly positive toward using ketamine for treatment of mood disorders. In other words – it was a typical patient testimonial, the kind of user-generated content that ketamine clinics love to get from their patients.
Meta referred the post to its oversight board for consideration, due to Facebook’s long-standing policy of not allowing users to describe experiences using non-medical drugs. Meta felt this was a gray area in the policy, because while ketamine can be used to produce a mind-altering experience, it has legitimate uses in clinical treatment. In this case in particular, the person making the post was administered ketamine by a licensed medical facility.
Meta decided to allow the post to remain visible, determining that the use of ketamine as a medical treatment should override the policy against users talking about personal drug use.
Their reasoning for allowing the ketamine post reads as follows:
While Meta typically does not allow content that “admits to personal use” or “promotes” non-medical drugs (the definition for which includes substances “used to achieve a high” or altered mental state), we allow for broader discussion as it relates to pharmaceutical drugs which are defined as “drugs that require a prescription or medical professionals to administer.”
Simple enough, right? There is a policy in place, and this was deemed a reasonable exception to the policy.
Not so fast.
Meta’s Oversight Board Says No to Ketamine Content
The oversight board reviewed the case, but disagreed with Meta’s rationale and overturned the decision. In effect, the board did not agree with the policy exception for drugs that require a prescription or are administered by medical professionals. They recommended that Meta remove the user’s post and tighten up its policy to not allow this content in the future.
Meta Says No to the Oversight Board Saying No on Ketamine Marketing
Here’s where it gets interesting. Even though Meta referred the case to the oversight board for consideration, Meta declined to follow the oversight board’s recommendation – meaning they would allow the post to stand (and presumably allow similar posts in the future). They promised to take another look at the issue in the future, likely in 2024.
Meta Chooses to Allow Ketamine Marketing Content
Informative article by High Times, reviewing Meta’s decision to ignore the oversight board’s decision on banning ketamine marketing content on Facebook. The article also explores what the decision might mean for a broader application to psychedelics and discussion of psychedelic medicine on Facebook.
For those who may not want to read the article on High Times, Bloomberg also covered Meta’s policy decision reversal on ketamine marketing. You do need a Bloomberg subscription to read the full article, however.
So Can You Talk About Ketamine on Facebook?
So what does that mean for ketamine marketing on Facebook? For now, at least, it’s allowed. User generated content describing experiences with ketamine treatment is being allowed. Which is good news for ketamine clinics looking to market on Facebook.
User-created content is some of the most powerful marketing around. A compelling patient story – complete with a satisfying result – works wonders for helping other patients make the decision to try ketamine treatment. In the past, professionally shot and edited videos were the norm. But with the rise of Tik Tok, that all changed.
Now, user created content is all the rage. Vertical videos with poor lighting, distracting visual backgrounds, and random off-camera noises are the norm. Users know that video clips shot by patients using their phones bypass the traditional gatekeepers of clinic management, marketing department, and the film editor. The content feels more raw and honest, and therefore, more convincing.
With Facebook’s recent inclination to allow users to openly discuss ketamine treatment, now is the time to ramp up your user-generated content to market your ketamine clinic.
Where to Start
Whether you work with an agency (like Mindhealth Media) or handle Facebook marketing yourself, the process is similar:
- Draft a list of likely patients to approach. Ideally, the patients have a dramatic and compelling story to tell. Compelling patient stories unfortunately call for extremes, so the deeper the depression, the worse the anxiety, the better.
- Approach the patients on the list and invite them to participate. Not every patient will be willing and that’s OK.
- Decide on a format, frequency, and timeline. Also, secure a video release that grants you the right to use the content.
- Coach the patient on desired talking points. Instruct them on how to create a compelling video. (Working with an agency can really help with this step).
- Once the video is ready, publish the final content. It’s preferable if the patient posts on their own social media feed, first. That post is then shared by the practice for a wider audience.
That’s it!
Add User Generated Content to Your 2024 Ketamine Marketing Plan
When building your ketamine clinic marketing plan for 2024, consider adding user-generated content as a key piece of the puzzle. Now that Facebook has opened the gate for users to discuss ketamine treatment in posts, it creates a fantastic opportunity for clinics to take advantage of.
As always, it helps to be one of the first to take advantage of new opportunities, so move quickly.
And if you need help getting your clinic marketing going, give us a call at 801-382-7760. We’d be glad to help.