Diving into Digital Strategy with Bethesda’s Jeff Waldman and Madison Lanford

What’s the mission of Bethesda Health Group?

JEFF: The mission of Bethesda is to be the premier provider of care and services for seniors in the markets we serve while maintaining financial strength and providing fulfilling career opportunities. We’re proud to have been achieving our mission for 135 years.

Similarly, our Corporate vision is to foster successful aging through compassion and innovation. Basically, Bethesda Health Group is looking for residents, families and staff to thrive. 

How would you say Bethesda is different from other healthcare organizations in the St. Louis area?

JEFF: We work diligently. Our staff is committed to care and services and has a relatively low turnover ratio, especially for the senior living, care and services industry. When you combine that with the fact that we remain as fiscally responsible as possible — because otherwise we wouldn’t have been in business since 1889 — we believe we have a very appealing package for St Louis’ older adults.

MADISON: I see a lot of focus on not just the individual we’re serving, but their network as well — their family members and the people invested in their best interests. We meet them where they’re at and put an emphasis on any capacity we’re serving them in. It’s done with dignity and respect by looking at the full picture of what someone needs and the implications.

Why did you choose Paradigm and why have you continued to use our services?

JEFF: 10 years ago, Bethesda Health Group did not have a viable website. We had no digital footprint to speak of at all.

They respected our budget. They provided us with an outline of what we needed and how we would be able to get to where we wanted to be. That was all very appealing to us. We have come a long way with Paradigm’s assistance, and they have helped us grow and thrive in the digital plane.

How would you characterize your ongoing partnership with us?

JEFF: We’ve been very pleased with the partnership we have with Paradigm New Media Group. Because you have worked with Bethesda Health Group for a while, Paradigm understands what our priorities are. 

They have always respected our budget requirements, and the team is very knowledgeable. Paradigm has worked with us to create a very viable website and strategy for expanding our reach to target audiences. As a non-profit located solely within the St. Louis metropolitan area, that was very important to us.

MADISON: Paradigm is very consistent when it comes to the work that we do with them. I know what I can expect from them. If we are working on strategy, I know who they’re reaching out to, how they’re putting things together and what they’re going to present us with. I’m never really wondering where things are with Paradigm.

How have we helped you address challenges through marketing? 

MADISON: Paradigm is often the one that will bring something to our attention. Given that Bethesda Health Group is working in the digital space, there are a lot of moving parts. There’s an algorithm — the way Google is ranking things is constantly changing.

I’ve leaned on them to be the main source of monitoring when it comes to our digital presence. Usually, they’re the ones that come to me and say ‘It looks like we maybe need to change up the strategy’ or ‘We’re kind of plateauing as far as this data point is concerned.’ 

They’re very open to me throwing something at them. They can pinpoint what’s going on through their own research and guide our strategy.

JEFF: I like the fact that the team will take the initiative to make recommendations to us, in conjunction with our analytics, to try and expand what data we are able to secure. It has been quite beneficial in helping us understand where the visitors to our website are coming from, what they’re looking for and how to evolve our SEO program.

What do you consider Bethesda Health Group’s biggest marketing success so far? 

MADISON: When I came in, it was right on the tail end of a website refresh. I’ve seen where Bethesda Health Group was with the website and then where they were when I came in. As we stand now, we have a very dynamic website that stands head-to-head with our biggest competitors in the industry.

JEFF: For me, it’s been the emphasis on the growth of our SEO program. One of my objectives has always been to increase Bethesda’s visibility for those who are coming to our website organically. 

We were originally ranking on the second, third or fourth page — we were very fortunate if we were at the bottom of the first page. Madison and I have been committed to increasing the placement of our communities, our services and Bethesda Health Group in general so that we are near or at the top of the first page when most utilized keywords are entered into the browser. Paradigm has been very effective in that regard. 

Your blog covers a range of topics. How do you strike a balance between targeting seniors versus caregivers and families?

MADISON: A lot of what Paradigm shows us informs me on trending topics. When we’re looking at data month to month, we see certain blogs hang out at the top of our most visited. We also see ones slowly climbing up to be one of our top pages. Our content calendars are informed a lot by the data that Paradigm brings to us. 

Overall, I try to strike a balance to make sure that there’s variety in the content because we have two pretty distinct audiences among the people who may be coming to Bethesda Health Group: the senior adults and their children. 

What’s one piece of wisdom you’ve gained from our partnership that you would share with others?

MADISON: When you’re looking for a marketing agency, you want somebody who’s going to bounce ideas off of you. They’re going to listen to all of yours. I’m never afraid to ask: What does this mean? What is this? Or is this something we should be keeping our eyes on? You need a vendor who’s going to work with you, not just for you,

JEFF: It’s just been a very positive relationship.

Anything else that you’d like to add?

MADISON: Bethesda is a really interesting company to watch when it comes to the marketing space. Just given the history of the company, the demographic of the audience it serves and the way that people have gotten information about companies for years.

I’ve seen how Bethesda Health Group is changing and playing the online games companies have to play nowadays. That’s the world that we live in and how you reach people — you have to let the current trends inform your strategies.

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