#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/