10 signs your agency is mismanaging your paid search campaigns

A free white paper, published by Fathom

One of the most common ways we begin supporting hospitals and health systems is by conducting detailed audits of their campaign strategy, structure, and results to uncover opportunities to improve performance and maximize the impact of every dollar in market. And, without fail, we find budget mismanagement.

Our digital advertising specialists have compiled some of the biggest red flags to watch for, the significance of those issues, and the specific actions you can take to remedy them.

We’ve organized these ten warning signs into five categories:

• Campaign Strategy and Structure: Overly General Campaign Structure
• Targeting Fundamentals: Spending Budget Outside Target Geography
• Optimization and Execution: Stagnant Change History Signals Lack of Optimization
• Tracking and Compliance: Non-Compliant Conversion Tracking
• Spend-draining Campaign Defaults: Google Search Partners Enabled

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Behind the Best: How Top Health Systems Designed Award-Winning Integrated Campaigns

Wednesday | July 16, 2025 | 2 p.m. Eastern

Panelists:

• Stephanie Wierwille, Executive Vice President of Engagement, BPD
• Jessie L. Pulsipher, Marketing and Communications Manager, University of Maryland Medical Center
• Wendi Chason, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Mount Sinai

Moderator:

• Susan Dubuque, Contributing Editor, eHealthcare Strategy & Trends and Co-Chair, 2025 eHealthcare Leadership Awards

Here is what you can expect:

• Discover the future of brand and healthcare storytelling — including shifts in audience behavior, AI, and tech.
• Learn ways to create bold, transformational programs that build health system brands.
• Gain actionable strategies and fresh ideas to elevate your advertising and connect more effectively with your audiences.
• Hear behind-the-scenes insights from two eHealthcare Leadership Award winners in the Best Integrated Marketing Campaign category.
• Learn how a product-specific campaign drove measurable results and stood out in a competitive landscape.
• See how a brand campaign built trust, recognition, and engagement across multiple platforms.
• Get inspired by real-world examples that blend creative storytelling with smart strategy.
• Walk away with practical tips you can apply to your own campaigns — whether you’re launching a new service or reinforcing your brand.

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Digital Showcase: Broward Health’s New Brand Campaign Looks Boldly to the Future

// By Susan Dubuque // Broward Health had much to be proud of as it marked its 85th anniversary in 2023 with a campaign that reflected a proud legacy of caring. But the health system recognized it was time to evolve. Discover how this integrated marketing campaign engaged both internal and external audiences and produced impressive results.

Content that Connects: Strategies for Reaching and Engaging Your Audiences

Presented January 30, 2025

Panelists:

• Emilie Ansel, CEO, Private Health News
• Julie Williams, Regional Marketing Manager, Trinity Health of New England
• Diana Jones, CEO, Petrastella Communications Marketing Strategy & Planning for Walmart Health & Wellness

What You Will Learn:

• How to define and prioritize target audiences for your content marketing efforts
• Effective methods for developing audience personas
• Balancing personalization with scalability in campaigns
• The most engaging types of content for specific audience segments
• When to pivot to ensure your content remains relevant in rapidly changing markets?
• Tools and platforms for analyzing audience behavior and preferences
• How to tailor content for different stages of the buyer’s journey
• Trends shaping the future of targeted content marketing

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St. Elizabeth Healthcare Consumer-First Culture Built on Privacy-First Foundation

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Gaining full visibility into customer journeys while protecting privacy empowers health systems to move forward confidently. During a January webinar, Stephanie Downing and Ray Mina shared how St. Elizabeth regained access to critical data by implementing a privacy management platform, and how that enables the organization to embrace a consumer-first culture.

Inside Orlando Health’s Multichannel Strategy to Engage and Inspire Audiences

Effectively engaging with patients, physicians, employees, and community members means going beyond traditional communication methods. Orlando Health has embraced this challenge head-on, creating an expansive digital communication strategy that meets people where they are. Discover how this omnichannel strategy drives engagement, builds trust, and delivers measurable impact across all audiences.

Orlando Health Builds Connections and Achieves Results Through a Robust Digital Strategy

// By Susan Dubuque // Effectively engaging with patients, physicians, employees, and community members means going beyond traditional communication methods. Orlando Health has embraced this challenge head-on, creating an expansive digital communication strategy that meets people where they are. Discover how this omnichannel strategy drives engagement, builds trust, and delivers measurable impact across all audiences.

UChicago Medicine Uses Geofencing and Geopathing to Engage Niche Audiences

In the fall of 2023, when HIPAA laws left a giant black hole in healthcare providers’ targeted marketing campaigns, UChicago Medicine marketers successfully targeted a niche audience, using digital programmatic out-of-home (pDOOH) advertising, geofencing, and geopathing. Learn how this tactic allows them to target visitors while also capturing audience information for retargeting.

DEI in Action: How Top Health Systems Are Overcoming Disparities and Building Inclusive Care Models

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted health disparities in the U.S., which disproportionately affected vulnerable and underserved communities. This article will present examples of DEI in action through three award-winning entries in the Best Digital Leadership in Health Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category from the 2023 eHealthcare Leadership Awards.

Marketing in a Privacy-First World: Creative Solutions to Connect with Healthcare Consumers

Stymied by privacy laws that hinder you from targeting and measuring your online marketing efforts? Maybe it’s an opportunity to consider new strategies. In this article, we explore some innovative approaches that will help you connect with consumers in meaningful ways while keeping consumer privacy in mind.

Sprint to Success: Lessons from Targeting a Niche Audience at the Chicago Marathon

// By Wendy Margolin // In the fall of 2023, when HIPAA laws left a giant black hole in healthcare providers’ targeted marketing campaigns, UChicago Medicine marketers successfully targeted a niche audience, using digital programmatic out-of-home (pDOOH) advertising, geofencing, and geopathing. Learn how this tactic allows them to target visitors while also capturing audience information for retargeting.

You’ve Got Mail: How 4 Leading Health Systems Use Email to Drive Patient Engagement and Action

Email is one of the most effective channels to engage and motivate patients to act. In this article, we look at four health systems that garnered awards for Best Email Content at the 2023 eHealthcare Leadership Awards. We explore their winning entries and the strategies and tactics they used to drive conversions.

Bringing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to Life in Today’s Healthcare Environment

// By Susan Dubuque // The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted health disparities in the U.S., which disproportionately affected vulnerable and underserved communities. This article will present examples of DEI in action through three award-winning entries in the Best Digital Leadership in Health Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category from the 2023 eHealthcare Leadership Awards.

How Healthcare Marketers Can Balance Privacy Regulations and Personalization

// By Erin Killion // Stymied by privacy laws that hinder you from targeting and measuring your online marketing efforts? Maybe it’s an opportunity to consider new strategies. In this article, we explore some innovative approaches that will help you connect with consumers in meaningful ways while keeping consumer privacy in mind.

4 Award-Winning Healthcare Email Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Next Campaign

// By Julie Revelant // Email is one of the most effective channels to engage and motivate patients to act. In this article, we look at four health systems that garnered awards for Best Email Content at the 2023 eHealthcare Leadership Awards. We explore their winning entries and the strategies and tactics they used to drive conversions.

CRM: How to Optimize Your Tech Stack to Attract and Retain Patients

Your Presenters:

• Mike Sonnentag, Senior Service Line Marketing Strategist, Virtua Health
• Seth Kaplan, Director, Marketing and Customer Engagement, HonorHealth
• Ross Therrien, Enterprise Account Executive (Healthcare), LeadSquared

Moderated by:

• Jane Weber Brubaker, Executive Editor, Plain-English Health Care

You’ll learn:

• Why an EHR system alone may not be enough
• How Virtua Health uses the CRM to uncover opportunities for service line growth
• How HonorHealth’s CRM team reaches out to internal clients as strategic partners
• How integrated systems enable data sharing and improve care coordination
• How you can use CRM solutions to manage patient and prospect relationships across multiple touchpoints.

Watch Now »

Celebrate Excellence and Innovation in Healthcare at HCIC 2024

HCIC is where leaders in our industry gather to share best practices and reveal what’s next in the ever-changing digital healthcare landscape. Join us in Austin, Texas, November 10-13 for this educational and networking extravaganza. Read on for a snapshot of what’s in store for you if you attend this year’s conference.

HCIC 2024: Transformation in Action

// By Susan Dubuque // HCIC is where leaders in our industry gather to share best practices and reveal what’s next in the ever-changing digital healthcare landscape. Join us in Austin, Texas, November 10-13 for this educational and networking extravaganza. Read on for a snapshot of what’s in store for you if you attend this year’s conference.

Google’s Cookie Conundrum: What it Means for Healthcare Advertisers

As the dominant player in online advertising, search, and browsing, Google routinely sets the online advertising world spinning. Its cookie policies are the latest upheaval as the company seeks to balance growing privacy concerns with its value proposition. ​​We sat down with two experts to learn more about the cookie conundrum.

CRM: How to Optimize Your Tech Stack to Attract and Retain Patients

Join us for a free webinar on Wednesday October 9 at 2 p.m. ET to learn how your organization can drive growth, deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care, and stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.

You’ll learn:

• Why an EHR system alone may not be enough
• How Virtua Health uses the CRM to uncover opportunities for service line growth
• How HonorHealth’s CRM team reaches out to internal clients as strategic partners
• How integrated systems enable data sharing and improve care coordination
• How you can use CRM solutions to manage patient and prospect relationships across multiple touchpoints.

Register Now »

12 Percent Jump in Screenings: Atlantic Health’s ‘Charlie the Colon’ Campaign Wins Big

Colorectal cancer is a significant health concern in the United States. Early detection through screenings like colonoscopies can significantly improve survival rates, with five-year survival rates at about 90 percent if treated early. Discover the strategy behind Atlantic’s “Here’s the Bottom Line” campaign and how it achieved a significant increase in screenings.

St. Peter’s Multi-Level Strategy to Boost Recruitment and Retention

The eHealthcare Leadership Awards introduced a new category in 2023 to address healthcare workforce shortages. Eight winners were selected, including St. Peter’s Healthcare System, which used a twofold strategy to promote hard-to-fill jobs and support recruitment initiatives through marketing and HR collaboration. Discover St. Peter’s tactics and enhance your organization’s hiring practices.

Cookies Are Back. What Does It Mean for Healthcare Advertisers?

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // As the dominant player in online advertising, search, and browsing, Google routinely sets the online advertising world spinning. Its cookie policies are the latest upheaval as the company seeks to balance growing privacy concerns with its value proposition. ​​We sat down with two experts to learn more about the cookie conundrum.

Atlantic Health System Launches Humorous Campaign for Colorectal Cancer Awareness

// By Althea Fung // Colorectal cancer is a significant health concern in the United States. Early detection through screenings like colonoscopies can significantly improve survival rates, with five-year survival rates at about 90 percent if treated early. Discover the strategy behind Atlantic’s “Here’s the Bottom Line” campaign and how it achieved a significant increase in screenings.

Winning Digital Strategies to Boost Employee Recruitment and Retention

// By Susan Dubuque // The eHealthcare Leadership Awards introduced a new category in 2023 to address healthcare workforce shortages. Eight winners were selected, including St. Peter’s Healthcare System, which used a twofold strategy to promote hard-to-fill jobs and support recruitment initiatives through marketing and HR collaboration. Discover St. Peter’s tactics and enhance your organization’s hiring practices.