Ignite: Healthcare Marketing Podcast

Hosted by Cardinal Digital Marketing

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236

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Hear the latest performance marketing strategies, industry news, and innovative tactics that will help grow your healthcare organization. Brought to you by Cardinal Digital Marketing, our CEO Alex Membrillo sits down with industry leaders and the nation's top healthcare marketing professionals to uncover practical insights to boost your digital presence and attract more patients.

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June 16, 2026Episode 21124 min

#211 - Are Behavioral Health Marketers Speaking the Wrong Language

Most behavioral health marketers are talking to patients in a language patients don't speak, and it's costing them admissions. On Ignite, host Ashley Petrochenko, Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing, sits down with Jennifer Munoz-Callahan, VP of Digital Performance at Promises Behavioral Health, to explore how behavioral science can transform the way healthcare organizations connect with patients. Drawing from her experience in behavioral health and her personal connection to the space, Jennifer shares why understanding patient fears, motivations, and decision-making is critical to driving meaningful growth. You'll walk away knowing: Why patients are the toughest persona to convert and how to actually reach them How speed-to-call and admissions team alignment directly impact patient acquisition What retention marketing looks like after a patient leaves your facility Why plain language outperforms clinical terminology every time If behavioral health marketing is part of your world, this conversation will change how you approach every message you send. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Jennifer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-munoz-callahan/ The Key Behavioral Health Marketing Trends Shaping 2026 - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/mental-behavioral-health-trends-2026/ 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/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/ How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/

June 9, 2026Episode 21023 min

#210 - The Strategists' Corner: Building modern measurement stacks

Healthcare marketers are making major budget decisions based on attribution models that often tell an incomplete story. In episode two of The Strategists' Corner, host Rich Briddock sits back down with Ben Dutter, Chief Strategy Officer at Power Digital Marketing, to tackle the measurement problem hiding inside most healthcare marketing organizations. They introduce a practical framework that reorders how marketers should prioritize evidence, and explains why the metrics teams trust most are often the least reliable. You'll learn: Why last-click attribution gives healthcare marketers a false sense of confidence How to use marketing mix modeling to challenge assumptions about channel performance A proven approach to running incrementality tests without tanking lead volume How to get C-suite and PE-backed stakeholders bought into a new measurement strategy If your P&L and your dashboards are telling two different stories, this is the episode that helps you figure out which one to believe. RELATED RESOURCES The Search Plateau Problem: Why Healthcare Providers Need Incrementality Testing -https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-incrementality-testing/ RevRx™: Unlocking the Power of Media Mix Modeling - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/media-mix-modeling-revrx/ When & How to Expand Your Healthcare Media Mix - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/ Building a privacy-safe engine for patient growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/health-system-privacy-safe-measurement-framework-case-study/

June 2, 2026Episode 20927 min

#209 - Urgent Care Marketing Starts Before Patients Need You

By the time a patient searches for urgent care, the marketing battle is already half over. On the Ignite Healthcare Marketing podcast, host Ashley Petrochenko, VP of Brand Marketing at Cardinal, sits down with Miriam Rose Lee, CMO of MainStreet Family Care, to unpack how urgent care brands win patient trust long before the search happens. Miriam shares the brand-building, local search, and reputation strategies driving growth across 67 clinics in rural and metro markets. If your clinics are relying only on paid search to drive volume, this conversation will reframe your entire approach. You'll walk away knowing: Why community presence and brand familiarity drive more urgent care visits than paid social How to build a local SEO and Google Business profile strategy that converts at the right moment The review incentive system that gets clinic staff actively asking for five-star feedback How to align marketing and operations so patient experience doesn't undercut your acquisition efforts If you want to build local patient trust that holds up before, during, and after the clinic visit, this is the episode to listen to next. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Miriam - https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriamroselee/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/ 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/ Mastering Performance Max (PMAX) for Healthcare - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/performance-max-pmax-healthcare-guide/ Is Your Organization Actually Ready for Marketing? - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketing-readiness/

May 26, 2026Episode 20814 min

#208 - How to Drive Real Results When Your Data Isn't Perfect

Perfect measurement is the goal. But it's rarely the reality. In this episode of Ignite, Cardinal's President Lauren Leone sits down with Scott Cameron, Group Media Director at Cardinal, to get practical about one of healthcare marketing's most common and least talked about challenges—running campaigns when your data is incomplete, inconsistent, or still a work in progress. From call tracking and form submissions to platform hygiene and manual feedback loops, Scott breaks down the step-by-step framework Cardinal uses to help healthcare groups make smarter decisions and improve performance even before they reach the ideal measurement state. You'll walk away with: A ladder framework for improving tracking quality one rung at a time How to use call scoring and micro conversions to feed the algorithm better signals Why platform hygiene matters as much as the data you collect The one practical step you can take this week to start making progress If you're tired of waiting for perfection before you act, this episode is your starting point. RELATED RESOURCES The Healthcare Marketing Audit: 6 Strategic Checkpoints - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-audit-checklist/ How to Build a Healthcare Marketing Roadmap That Drives Patient Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/how-to-build-digital-marketing-roadmap/ Is Your Organization Actually Ready for Marketing? - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketing-readiness/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/

May 19, 2026Episode 20720 min

#207 - Scaling 100 Dental Practices Without Losing Their Identity

Growing a DSO to 100+ locations usually means trading local soul for corporate efficiency. It doesn't have to. In this episode of Ignite, Ashley Petrochenko, Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing sits down with Britney Long, EVP of Marketing at GPS Dental to break down how her team built the marketing infrastructure behind more than 100 dental practices while still keeping every brand local and patient-focused. From AI search and patient retention to tech stack decisions and lifecycle marketing, Britney shares the systems, lessons, and strategies helping GPS Dental scale nationwide growth without creating a "cookie cutter" experience. You'll walk away with: How to decide what to centralize vs. keep local across a multi-location portfolio The first marketing hire that changed how GPS understood patient experience Why AI search optimization is now the foundation, not the bonus How to stop losing patients you already paid to acquire If you're building or scaling a multi-location healthcare brand and trying to grow while keeping the patient experience local and personal, this is the episode to listen to next.. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Britney- https://www.linkedin.com/in/britney-long-marketing/ How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - 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/ DSO Marketing: Branded House vs. House of Brands - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/dso-marketing-branded-house-vs-house-of-brands/

May 12, 2026Episode 20422 min

#206 - Building Healthcare Marketing Teams That Actually Perform

Your marketing strategy is only as strong as the team executing it. Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing Ashley Petrochenko sits down on the Ignite Healthcare Marketing Podcast with Kelly Perritt, Chief Marketing and Brand Strategy Officer at Horry Georgetown Technical College and a 20-year healthcare marketing veteran. Kelly shares the leadership principles she's used to build high-performing teams across nonprofit, for-profit, and academic healthcare environments, and why getting this right is the real driver of marketing results. You'll walk away with: A practical framework for aligning team members to roles based on strengths, not job titles Why listening is the most underrated skill in healthcare marketing leadership How to break down silos and create cross-functional alignment through process documentation What to look for when hiring multidimensional marketing talent in an AI-driven world If you want to build a team that can actually keep pace with where healthcare marketing is heading, this episode is essential listening. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellymperritt/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/ Harnessing the Power of AI Marketing for Healthcare - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/harnessing-ai-marketing-for-healthcare/ Is Your Organization Actually Ready for Marketing? - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketing-readiness/ How to Build a Healthcare Marketing Roadmap That Drives Patient Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/how-to-build-digital-marketing-roadmap/

May 5, 2026Episode 20522 min

#205 - Inside the Brand Strategy Powering 1,000+ PDS Health Locations

If your patient acquisition strategy depends too heavily on paid media, this episode explains why brand trust is now the real growth lever. On this episode of Ignite, Ashley Petrochenko, Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing, sits down with Courtney Taylor, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at PDS Health, to discuss how one of the nation's largest healthcare organizations is using brand strategy to stand out in a crowded, low-trust market. They break down how clearer messaging, smarter storytelling, and connected consumer experiences can improve performance marketing efficiency and long-term patient loyalty. For healthcare marketers facing rising costs and shrinking attention spans, this shift is critical. You will learn: Why trust is becoming the biggest driver of patient conversion How stronger branding reduces lower-funnel acquisition pressure Ways to make complex healthcare messages simple and human How partnerships and storytelling expand reach beyond paid ads If you want a smarter patient growth strategy that doesn't rely on chasing clicks, this is the episode to listen to next. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Courtney - https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyjotaylor/ How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - 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/ DSO Marketing: Branded House vs. House of Brands - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/dso-marketing-branded-house-vs-house-of-brands/

April 28, 2026Episode 20433 min

#204 - Strategist's Corner: What healthcare can learn from retail

Healthcare marketers are stuck chasing the same patients while retail brands are building demand at scale. In the first episode of The Strategists' Corner, a new series on the Ignite Healthcare Marketing Podcast, host Rich Briddock, Cardinal's Chief Strategy Officer, sits down with Ben Dutter, Chief Strategy Officer at Power Digital Marketing. Together, they break down what healthcare can learn from more mature industries like retail, e-commerce, and SaaS. You'll hear how top brands balance demand generation and capture, rethink measurement in a privacy-first world, and use creative to influence real patient decisions. You'll learn: Why overinvesting in bottom funnel limits patient growth How to measure true marketing impact beyond attribution What builds trust in high-stakes healthcare decisions How stronger creative can lift performance and demand If you want to move beyond incremental gains and build a smarter healthcare growth engine, this is the episode to queue up next. RELATED RESOURCES The Search Plateau Problem: Why Healthcare Providers Need Incrementality Testing -https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-incrementality-testing/ How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/ When & How to Expand Your Healthcare Media Mix - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/ Performance Creative: The Key to Paid Media Success - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/performance-creative-the-key-to-paid-media-success/

April 21, 2026Episode 20318 min

#203 - Trust Is the New Healthcare Growth Engine

Trust is no longer a brand message. It is the growth engine behind patient acquisition today. In this episode of Ignite, Ashley Petrochenko, Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing, sits down with Rachel Johnson, Marketing Director at Acorn Health, to break down how healthcare marketing is shifting toward consumer-led journeys where patients arrive informed, empowered, and already forming opinions before they ever engage. She shares how behavioral health has become a powerful example of this shift and why marketers must rethink how they build trust across the entire experience. This matters because growth is no longer driven by channels alone. It is driven by how well your brand shows up across every touchpoint patients actually trust. You will learn: Why patient journeys are longer, messier, and harder to control How reputation and peer conversations shape patient decisions What it takes to build trust before the first interaction How to align marketing and operations to reduce friction If you are rethinking how to drive real patient growth today, this is a conversation you do not want to miss. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Rachel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheljohnson730/ 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/ Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/ 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 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/

April 14, 2026Episode 20223 min

#202 - Patient Acquisition Needs Programmatic Infrastructure

If your patient acquisition strategy depends on last-click performance, you're missing the system that actually drives demand. In this episode of Ignite, Lauren Leone, Cardinal's Chief Growth Officer, sits down with Lisa Fisher, Associate Media Director, Paid Social & Programmatic Lead, to break down why programmatic should be treated as always-on infrastructure, not a short-term campaign. They share how healthcare marketers can use programmatic to build demand, improve performance across channels, and drive measurable growth over time. This shift is critical as competition increases and traditional channels hit saturation. You will learn: Why small programmatic budgets fail and what to do instead How programmatic increases branded search and organic performance The right way to measure impact beyond last-click attribution How to build full-funnel patient journeys with video and CTV If you want a more scalable and predictable patient acquisition strategy, this is the episode to queue up next. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Lauren- https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenthomasdigital/ Connect with Lisa- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaruthfisher/ How to Build a Full-Funnel Healthcare Marketing Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-marketing-strategy/ The Search Plateau Problem: Why Healthcare Providers Need Incrementality Testing - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-incrementality-testing/ When & How to Expand Your Healthcare Media Mix - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/expanding-channel-media-mix-strategy/ 2026 Healthcare Marketing Trends: The New Rules Redefining Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-trends-2026/