Mastering Customer Journey and Empathy in Healthcare Marketing | Carson Jones from Brado

Carson Jones: I’m doing awesome today. How about you, Ernesto?

Ernesto: I’m doing great. Great. Thank you so much for being on. Love the sunny weather, right? You being there where you’re at? I’m over here in a beach town. So awesome to see that, Carson.

Carson: Yeah, it’s from sunny weather to sunny weather here over in Phoenix, Arizona, if you can’t tell.

Ernesto: Hey, well, Carson, let’s kick it off then. I’m sure listeners are tuned in, wondering what Brado is all about. So in your own words, tell us a little bit more.

Carson: So Brado has been around for a couple of decades. It started out as an insights, research insights, that type of thing, into healthcare marketing. We’re now an insight-to-activation agency. We focus on insights into the customer journey and then activating on media that will help push people in the right direction on that journey. So, I’m not sure of the exact number of employees, somewhere around 150. We have 20 in the media department, give or take a couple. And then everyone else is, you know, working on insights or they’re working on platforms. We have a generative AI platform and client services.

Ernesto: Okay, great for sharing that with us here. And so that way our listeners could get a good understanding of Brado. Carson, what would you say is the key problem that you guys like to solve for clients?

Carson: The key problem, I mean, it’s very similar to what everyone is looking for—to map out the customer journey and then find the moments that matter and make sure that the right messaging is in place for that person at that particular point in time. Whether it be a consumer dealing with some sort of medical issue or a healthcare provider when we’re looking at the health space, also financial and higher education, and e-commerce. But it’s really the most important thing across all clients, whatever the vertical might be, is just finding those moments that matter and making sure that we’re there with the right messaging at the right time.

Ernesto: Definitely important. All right, great to hear that. So is there a vertical segment, is there an ideal ICP that you guys like to go for?

Carson: It’s large, direct-to-consumer healthcare, either healthcare providers or other healthcare industries like distribution and things like that. So whether it be hospital systems or suppliers, that type of thing, pharmaceutical, that’s where we focus our biggest efforts and where we are definitely experts in.

Ernesto: Definitely. Well, say I was in the pharmaceutical segment. How would I usually find out about Brado? Is there a top client acquisition channel for you guys?

Carson: It’s funny that you say that because we are marketers, but this is often the case—our biggest source is word of mouth. That tends to be the biggest thing. We’re known in the industry and there are different events that the executives hold, whether it be a golf tournament and things like that. But essentially it boils down to word of mouth for the most part.

Ernesto: Okay, perfect. Awesome. That’s always one of the best ones, right, because they already did the job for you. It’s just kind of like, well, let’s go ahead and iron out the details. So then, I mean, so that way our listeners who are tuned in can go ahead and visit you, they could always check you out at brado.net. What role does the website play for client acquisition?

Carson: You know what’s interesting? I think it plays a huge role in a number of ways. The website, not only is it a place where people may find you through search or like being linked through word of mouth, but it’s also an important part of the vetting process when people are looking at your agency or company. It’s to make sure that your website properly shows who you are and what you do as an agency. And that’s something that we admittedly could have used some work on until recently. We’ve done a bit of a relaunch and could still do more. But it’s incredibly important—not just from an acquisition standpoint, but also when someone’s vetting your company. Your website needs to give them the information that helps them make the decision in the proper way.

Ernesto: Really important. Great to hear that, Carson. Well, let’s switch gears a little bit and talk about you as a leader. You being the director of paid media there, what would you say are some key tasks you focus on in your day-to-day work?

Carson: There are a few things. Number one is being a good leader to the team and doing as much as I can to facilitate their growth in their own careers. Something I really do believe is that my most important tasks are, first, doing good work for the clients, making sure that we are providing them the best service possible. Second, for me personally, is making sure my team is as supported as possible and is getting the experience, on-the-job education, and everything they need to get to where they want to be in their career—even if that’s not at Brado. I just want to be supportive of them because that’s what I want for myself. And I know that when I get that, I do better work. And then the third thing is profitability. I think if I said this to one of my executives, they’d probably want me to put that one first, but that’s just how I see things.

Ernesto: All right. So, I mean, you being the director there of paid media, definitely have to stay up to date on all the trends and strategies in the marketing world. Is there a preferred channel that you like to go with?

Carson: Our top channel, that we’ve traditionally worked in, is search. That’s really been the bread and butter of everything for a long time. But that’s really more of your lower funnel tactics. Programmatic display is incredibly important, especially in those prospecting, awareness, and consideration phases, getting those messages to people at the right time and getting them actually into the funnel to start considering you as a solution. And then, of course, social media is important as well. Being with paid media, where we end up spending the most time and money is going to be, first, search, then programmatic, and then social in our efforts.

Ernesto: Some great channels there for our listeners. Well, let’s jump into our next section here, Carson, which is our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready for them?

Carson: I hope so.

Ernesto: All right, perfect then. First up, if there were no boundaries in technology, what would be the one thing you would want to fix for your role as a marketer today?

Carson: Attribution. I think it’s something we all struggle with. There are lots of different solutions for it. None of them are perfect. But man, how great would it be if you could just know exactly where everyone saw every single ad and everything throughout their journey? That would be awesome.

Ernesto: That’s funny. I agree with that. Next up, if there’s one repetitive task that you could automate, what would that be?

Carson: A task that I could automate? Probably accounting, like invoicing, actualization, all that kind of stuff. It’s important, but I don’t love doing it.

Ernesto: Definitely. I think a lot of people out there feel the same way. Lastly, Carson, I mean, you have a lot of experience, but what is one piece of advice you would give yourself if you were to restart your journey as a marketer today?

Carson: If I were to restart my journey as a marketer, I would say, and I think this is important for anyone—don’t look for the role, don’t try to get a specific promotion. Try to get all the knowledge you need to do that role. Try to get all of the capabilities, all of the thinking that you need to fulfill it so that, when it comes time and there’s an opportunity, you’re not fighting for it and then ending up having to struggle to do that role. You’re a shoe-in for the role, and everyone is going to say, “Hey, you know, Ernesto, you need to be the Planner here or you need to be the Director here,” because you’ve built up the skill set that makes you essential. Focus on what you can do to build yourself up and not chase after paychecks or titles.

Ernesto: Okay, perfect. Some great advice, not just for yourself but for all our listeners. Well, Carson, we are coming to the end of the show here, but before we end, I want to give you the last word. Say someone forgets everything about the interview today. What is the one thing they should remember about Brado?

Carson: If you’re in healthcare or any industry, the most important thing is being empathetic towards the people that you are trying to persuade. Make sure you’re being sensitive to what they’re experiencing and that you’re there for them in the moments that matter, to support them and help them find answers for whatever their issues may be. Of course, that’s mostly focused on direct-to-consumer when I say that, but it’s the same for B2B. We do a lot of B2B, and you don’t need to just be there for individual customers. Your B2B clients need empathy, and you need to understand their moments that matter as well.

Ernesto: Definitely would agree with you. At Brado, you believe that insight and empathetic connection can not only change your brand but can change the world. Awesome to hear that from you, Carson. I want to thank you for being on, and I also want to thank our listeners for tuning in today. I’m looking forward to our next episode of Pathmonk Presents. Thanks a lot, Carson.

Carson: Thank you. Appreciate it.