Ignite: Healthcare Marketing Podcast

#188 - Patient Experience Is the Growth Strategy

If growth is stalling, the problem is rarely the media plan. It is friction in the patient experience that marketing cannot fix after the fact. On this episode of Ignite, Cardinals VP of Brand Marketing Ashley Petrochenko sits down with Ben Whitaker, Director of Digital Strategies, Marketing, and Communications at UofL Health, to unpack why sustainable healthcare growth starts long before the appointment and often breaks at the digital front door. Drawing on 25 years of digital and SEO experience across industries, Ben shares how consumer behavior, not new tactics, should shape SEO, AI search, site experience, reviews, and scheduling. This conversation matters now as AI accelerates search behavior and raises the stakes for accuracy, trust, and usability across the entire patient journey. You'll learn: * Why SEO still underpins patient acquisition in an AI-driven search world * How small experience gaps quietly kill conversion and retention * What healthcare marketers can fix without waiting on a full redesign * How marketing can lead cross-functional alignment around patient access If improving patient access and driving real growth are priorities for 2026, this is the episode to listen to next. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentwhitaker/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentwhitaker/] What is a Patient Journey? Examples to Grow Your Practice - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/what-is-a-patient-journey-grow-your-practice/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/what-is-a-patient-journey-grow-your-practice/] Optimizing for AI Search: A New Era in Healthcare Marketing - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/optimizing-for-ai-search-a-new-era-in-healthcare-marketing/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/optimizing-for-ai-search-a-new-era-in-healthcare-marketing/] How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/] How a Primary Care Provider Futureproofed Their SEO in an AI-Driven Search World - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/search-content-strategy-ai-landscape/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/search-content-strategy-ai-landscape/]

#187 - Building Strategic Investment Foundations

Too many healthcare marketers allocate budgets based on guesswork or last year's spend. Cardinal's approach is different. On this episode of Ignite, Cardinal's media and analytics team break down how to build smarter investment foundations by understanding what is actually driving growth. The discussion covers how to separate paid impact from organic and other channels, align media investment with operational capacity and business goals, forecast outcomes before spend, and move beyond blended metrics using marginal economics. You'll hear honest conversation about common attribution traps, capacity constraints, and the trade-offs between efficiency and growth, along with practical frameworks for allocating budget across complex, multi-location healthcare organizations. You will learn: * Understanding your digital mix before making investment decisions * Capacity-driven, goal-aligned planning * Forecasting outcomes using historical data and realistic assumptions * Marginal economics and why blended metrics can be misleading * Allocation frameworks for markets, locations, and service lines RELATED RESOURCES Why Capacity-Driven Marketing Is Non-Negotiable - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/capacity-driven-marketing-media-investment-strategy/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/capacity-driven-marketing-media-investment-strategy/] How to Set Smarter Healthcare Marketing Goals - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketing-goal-planning/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketing-goal-planning/] When & How to Expand Your Healthcare Media Mix - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/] Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/]

#186 - Healthcare Growth Starts With Marketing + Operations Alignment

When patient acquisition feels unpredictable, it is usually an operations problem hiding inside a marketing problem. On this episode of Ignite, Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing Ashley Petrochenko is joined by Stephen Harrell, Director of Marketing at StrideCare, to break down why real healthcare growth depends on tight alignment between marketing, access teams, and clinical operations. You will hear how one of Texas's largest lower extremity healthcare providers is reshaping its patient journey by connecting marketing metrics to on-the-ground operational performance. This conversation shows what today's marketers must prioritize to drive reliable, scalable growth. You will learn: * How marketing and operations partnerships unlock higher converting patient journeys * Why call intelligence and CRM data reveal the real blockers to growth * Ways to tighten workflows so patient demand actually turns into scheduled visits * How to shift your team toward EOS style accountability that supports long term performance If you want marketing that consistently converts instead of guesswork, this is the episode for you. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Steven - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-harrell-tx/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-harrell-tx/] 2026 Healthcare Marketing Trends: The New Rules Redefining Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-trends-2026/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-trends-2026/] Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/] What is a Patient Journey? Examples to Grow Your Practice - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/what-is-a-patient-journey-grow-your-practice/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/what-is-a-patient-journey-grow-your-practice/] Why Capacity-Driven Marketing Is Non-Negotiable - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/capacity-driven-marketing-media-investment-strategy/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/capacity-driven-marketing-media-investment-strategy/]

#185 - How We Fixed Meta's Lead Problem

Healthcare marketers write off Meta for one reason: lead quality. High volume or cheap leads don't matter when leads are unqualified, uninsured, or never convert to patients. Cardinal's paid social team cracked the code. Through systematic testing of Meta lead forms—adding SMS verification, progressive insurance qualification, and strategic engagement tactics—they transformed Meta from a brand channel into a legitimate performance driver. The result? A 78% reduction in cost per qualified lead compared to Google Ads, with quality that actually converts. In this episode, Lisa Fisher and Caro Costa walk through the exact testing framework and optimization strategies that made it work. You'll leave with a replicable playbook for your own Meta campaigns. RELATED RESOURCES 10 Ways to Succeed on Meta in 2025 - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/10-ways-to-succeed-on-meta-in-2025/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/10-ways-to-succeed-on-meta-in-2025/] How Meta's Data Restrictions Impact Healthcare Advertising Strategies - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/meta-announces-major-changes-healthcare-advertising/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/meta-announces-major-changes-healthcare-advertising/] Performance Creative: The Key to Paid Media Success - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/performance-creative-the-key-to-paid-media-success/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/performance-creative-the-key-to-paid-media-success/] 5-Step Paid Media Strategy to Attract Your Ideal Patients - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/paid-media-patient-acquisition-guide/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/paid-media-patient-acquisition-guide/]

#184 - Orthopedic Growth Starts With Urgent Care

In this episode of Ignite, Cardinal CEO Alex Membrillo sits down with Heather Lang, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer at Twin Cities Orthopedics, for a deep dive into how TCO is innovating in patient acquisition, brand differentiation, and digital strategy. You'll gain actionable insights on aligning marketing with business outcomes, leveraging data to secure budget increases, and using consumer research and bold creative to stand out in a crowded market. If you're looking for practical ways to drive new patient growth, improve attribution, and take calculated risks in your campaigns, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways just for you. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Heather - https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-lang-4126517/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-lang-4126517/] How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/] 5-Step Paid Media Strategy to Attract Your Ideal Patients - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/paid-media-patient-acquisition-guide/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/paid-media-patient-acquisition-guide/] Performance Creative: The Key to Paid Media Success - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/performance-creative-the-key-to-paid-media-success/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/performance-creative-the-key-to-paid-media-success/] When & How to Expand Your Healthcare Media Mix - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/ [https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/]