Hiring for Healthcare Marketing: What to Look for in an Agency Partner
Did you know that 77% of patients use online reviews as their first step in choosing a healthcare provider? That’s according to Medical Economics Online, at least, and what it means for hospitals, healthcare nonprofits, and provider networks is your digital front door matters more than ever. It means finding the right marketing partner isn’t just about hiring for creative flair. It’s about choosing an agency that understands the regulated, emotionally sensitive, and highly competitive nature of healthcare brand marketing.
At COHN, we believe success in healthcare marketing comes from patient-centered strategy, trust in partnership, flawless execution, and measurable results. We’ve seen this firsthand in work with organizations like Craig Hospital, Valley View Hospital, Denver Health, and Donor Alliance—crafting healthcare campaigns that are not only emotionally resonant but also fully aligned with brand standards and compliance expectations.
Healthcare Isn’t Like Other Industries (Your Agency Shouldn’t Be Either)
Healthcare marketing requires a deep understanding of regulatory sensitivity, patient trust, and brand-safe, empathetic language. Not every agency is equipped for that. Most agencies are unfamiliar with compliance protocols. Many don’t have a formal QA/review process for sensitive content. And way too many agencies still rely on fear-based messaging or scare tactics in their messaging.
Worse yet, the majority of (generalist) marketing agencies don’t understand things like provider referral networks, payor mix implications, digital front door strategies, value-based care language, and content governance in regulated or reputation-sensitive environments.
Strategic Partners, Not Just Creative Shops
In healthcare, a strategic healthcare marketing agency partner does so much more than just deliver campaigns. A strong agency will understand and influence each stage: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion → Retention → Advocacy
At COHN, we routinely help clients map messaging across the entire journey—from first impressions to long-term loyalty. A good tip to get a gut-check on the efficacy of your marketing agency is to ask them how they map patient touchpoints across the journey. This will tell you everything you need to know about their ability to be more than a “campaign” resource.
What to Evaluate in a Healthcare Marketing Agency
We will keep this simple and straightforward, while also making a quick pitch for COHN to be your next agency partner. Here’s a quick checklist to guide your evaluation process:
Experience: Do they have relevant healthcare client case studies? What specialties have they worked in?
On this front, it will be hard to beat COHN’s experience. Just in the last few years alone, we have worked with Craig Hospital, Valley View Hospital, Denver Health, Diversus Health, Donor Alliance, Kidneys for Communities, MAX Surgical Specialty Management, Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation, TMS Solutions, Vanguard Skin Solutions, and many more.
Understanding of Regulated Environments: Can they collaborate with compliance and clinical stakeholders?
COHN partners with clients in complex, regulated environments (it’s sort of our specialty), and we understand the importance of ensuring all brand-facing materials are reviewed, aligned, and appropriate (though we do not produce HIPAA-regulated content). In this environment, it’s better to be safe than sorry! Always seek approvals.
Creativity: Does their portfolio reflect emotional intelligence and professionalism?
We always like to tell our clients that just because you work in a sterile environment, your marketing doesn’t have to be sterile, too! Look for campaigns that build trust, connect with people, and put patients at the center of the marketing journey. Our work with Valley View Hospital does a great job of checking all the creativity plus strategy boxes! (Check out our online portfolio for more examples.)
Measurement: How do they track KPIs like brand engagement, campaign reach, or referral traffic?
When it comes to media, we track everything to make your ROI and budget conversations much easier. We can deliver dashboards and other reporting frameworks aligned to real-world results, just tell us what you need!
Collaboration: How do they coordinate with internal marketing and compliance teams?
Above all else, COHN operates as a true partner in everything we do—integrating seamlessly with internal teams across legal, marketing, and leadership. We have found that good ideas alone will often fail if there isn’t collaboration and partnership, and that even mediocre ideas can be homeruns if we all work together to execute well!
What Does “Integrated Marketing” Mean in Healthcare?
Integrated healthcare marketing strategy in healthcare means patients, referrers, and partners see a unified brand message across every channel. Disjointed marketing leads to wasted budgets and patient confusion. COHN recently supported a behavioral health campaign that required seamless coordination across SEM, organic content, provider toolkits, and referral outreach, ensuring every touchpoint reinforced the brand’s value and voice.
It’s also important to remember that patients and families often choose care based on emotional resonance, not clinical outcomes alone. A strong visual identity and consistent messaging build trust and a sense of safety. Just off the top of our heads, here are a few red flags you should keep your eye out for:
- Vague processes and unclear scopes
- No experience with regulated industries
- Overuse of buzzwords without substance
- Lack of clear campaign metrics or reporting
- No formal QA/review process for sensitive content
COHN’s Healthcare Approach
COHN specializes in brand marketing for healthcare organizations across hospital systems, nonprofits, behavioral health, neurorehabilitation, and community health. We do not produce HIPAA-regulated content—but we excel at building brand-facing campaigns that drive reputation, relevance, and trust in high-stakes environments. Our model is built on process-driven creativity: strategy-first thinking, paired with seamless execution to drive measurable outcomes.
Hiring a healthcare marketing agency is about more than choosing a creative shop. It’s about finding a partner who can help you navigate complexity, inspire confidence, and communicate your mission with clarity.
COHN is more than a vendor—we’re a trusted partner helping healthcare brands clarify their message, connect with their audience, and grow with purpose. That’s the power of a strong healthcare marketing agency—to help you connect every part of your brand to a unified, mission-first approach.
