#194 - Patient Acquisition Demands Local Trust

Referrals are no longer enough to secure patient volume, and healthcare marketers who ignore local trust signals are losing patients before the first appointment is ever booked.

In this episode, Ashley Petrochenko, Cardinal's VP of Brand Marketing talks with Ashley Pollard, Practice Marketing Manager at United Digestive, a multi location, PE backed gastroenterology platform. With more than a decade inside a referral heavy specialty, Ashley shares how patient behavior has shifted and what growth focused teams must do to stay visible, credible, and chosen. This conversation makes it clear that modern patient acquisition is as much about reputation and access as it is about media.

You will learn

• Why referred patients still shop and how to win their trust locally

• How to balance centralized marketing with hyperlocal credibility

• Where AI driven search and reviews now influence patient choice

• Which metrics actually connect marketing to kept appointments

If you want your patient acquisition strategy to drive real visits and not just clicks, this is the episode to queue up next.

RELATED RESOURCES

Connect with Ashley- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-pollard-a734825/

Why Capacity-Driven Marketing Is Non-Negotiable - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/capacity-driven-marketing-media-investment-strategy/

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/

Marketing + Operations: Why Total Alignment is Vital to Growth - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-marketing-operations-alignment/