The Healthtech Marketing Show

This may be my favorite ever episode. And it’s a doozy! I sat down with Nick Panayi, CMO of Inovalon, to explore one of the most comprehensive AI adoption stories I've encountered in healthcare technology marketing. Nick leads a 95-person marketing team at this 2,000-employee data and solutions company, and what they've accomplished in just two years is remarkable. According to our recent survey of the HealthTech Marketing community, only about 7% of companies have an AI strategy roadmap, let alone reach this level of AI integration. This makes Nick's insights particularly valuable for the rest of us on this journey.What impressed me most was how they've made AI accessible across their entire marketing organization. They've created a unified platform called Amaru AI that serves as a no-code environment where marketers can build workflows without technical expertise. By integrating AI tools directly into their existing Monday.com workflow system, they've met their team where they already work rather than forcing adoption of new platforms. Nick also shared fascinating use cases, including AI-powered voiceovers with Eleven Labs, conversational AI prospecting with Synthflow that makes outbound calls, and using Google's Notebook LLM to transform dense white papers into engaging podcast content. Key Topics Covered:"(00:00:00)" Introduction and Nick's Background"(00:03:00)" Building an AI-First Marketing Team"(00:07:00)" Overcoming Barriers - Legal and Team Concerns"(00:10:00)" The AI Roadmap and Tiger Team Approach"(00:12:00)" Scaling AI Adoption Across the Organization"(00:14:00)" Content Creation with AI Scoring"(00:18:00)" Automated Website Tagging and Personalization"(00:22:00)" Agentic AI for Paid Search Advertising"(00:30:00)" Amaru AI Platform Architecture"(00:35:00)" AI Integration in Monday.com Workflows"(00:36:00)" Image Generation and Remix Tools"(00:37:00)" Tega AI for Prospecting and Lead Generation"(00:40:00)" Synthflow - Conversational AI Calling"(00:45:00)" ROI and Measurement Approaches"(00:49:00)" AI Voiceovers and Video Production"(00:51:00)" AI Podcasting with Google Notebook LLM"(00:53:00)" Advice for Agencies and ConsultantsIn this post, I lay out a strategic roadmap that emulates what Nick and team have achieved at Inovalon.If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.Follow me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!Thank you to our presenting sponsors, HIMSS, a leader in advancing health equity, digital innovation, and data-driven care through technology, policy, and community collaboration. And also HealthcareNOW, 24/7 expert shows, interviews, and podcasts, powering healthcare leaders with innovation, policy, and strategy insights.

In this episode, I speak with Susan Roth, Senior Director of Marketing at Netrality Data Centers, about her remarkable journey from marketing leader to AI agent builder. Susan shared how she went from being uncertain about AI's role in marketing to becoming a pioneer in building sophisticated AI workflows and agents, while managing a small marketing team and investing significant personal time and resources into her education.What makes Susan's story particularly compelling for healthcare technology marketers is her practical approach to implementation. She's not just theorizing, she's actively using it to transform how a small marketing team operates. From editing video in minutes instead of hours to creating automated research workflows that cost just $1.50 per execution, Susan demonstrates how AI agents can enable small teams to compete at scale. She also offers a pragmatic yet optimistic view of AI's impact on the workforce, emphasizing that organizations will need people to manage and maintain these systems, and that the key is learning to work alongside AI rather than being replaced by it.For marketing leaders feeling overwhelmed by AI's rapid evolution, Susan's advice is straightforward: start small with low-risk use cases, embrace discomfort as part of the learning process, and remember that AI literacy is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. Her most important message is to "do it scared"—because waiting on the sidelines is no longer an option for marketers who want to remain competitive.Key Topics Covered[00:00:00] - Introduction[00:02:00] - Discovering AI as a Human Evolution Story[00:06:00] - Learning Resources: Marketing Profs B2B Forum[00:09:00] - Shifting Behavior: From Search Engine to Strategic Partner[00:10:00] - Introduction to Agentic Workflows[00:12:00] - The AI Build Lab: Four-Week Foundations Course[00:16:00] - The Builder Mindset for Marketers[00:18:00] - Key Tools: Notion, Typing Mind, and Cassidy[00:20:00] - Daily AI Applications in Marketing Work[00:21:00] - Use Cases: Research, Content Creation, and Video Production[00:25:00] - Building 50 Agents: From Research to Email[00:28:00] - The Cipher Agent: Automated Sales Research Workflow[00:31:00] - AI Adoption: Strategic Use vs. Individual Tools[00:33:00] - The Future of Marketing Teams: Humans and Agents Working Together[00:35:00] - The "Do More with Less" Question and Workforce Implications[00:37:00] - The Importance of Hiring and Training Young People[00:39:00] - Advice for Getting Started: Pick One Small Use Case[00:40:00] - Learning to Prompt and Using AI to Teach AI[00:41:00] - The Ongoing Journey: Being Comfortable with Being UncomfortableIf you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.Follow me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!Thank you to our presenting sponsors, HIMSS, a leader in advancing health equity, digital innovation, and data-driven care through technology, policy, and community collaboration. And also HealthcareNOW, 24/7 expert shows, interviews, and podcasts, powering healthcare leaders with innovation, policy, and strategy insights.

In this episode, I'm joined by three exceptional members of our Healthtech Marketing Network - Mariana Small, Elena Putilina, and Amy Swanson - who spearheaded our first-ever AI Cohort project. Together, they surveyed over 100 healthtech marketing leaders to understand how our community is actually using AI in their day-to-day work, moving beyond the hype to examine practical applications and real challenges.The research revealed some fascinating insights about where we stand as an industry. While 93% of respondents are using AI in some capacity, very few organizations have successfully integrated AI into their core workflows or developed strategic roadmaps for implementation. Perhaps most telling, almost no one is measuring AI's impact beyond basic productivity metrics, creating a significant gap between leadership's enthusiasm and actual business value demonstration.While leadership teams are generally supportive and see potential value, they're looking for AI to drive demand generation and performance improvements - not just cost savings. However, marketers are struggling with workflow integration, tool selection overwhelm, and demonstrating clear ROI. The community has identified four key areas where they need help: AI-based search optimization, future skills development, creating repeatable workflows, and establishing governance frameworks.This research confirms we're still in the early stages of AI adoption in healthtech marketing, but it also provides a clear roadmap for moving from experimentation to strategic implementation. The findings show that while the enthusiasm is there, we need to focus on building proper foundations.Key Topics Covered"(00:00:00) Introduction""(00:01:00) Meet the AI Cohort Team""(00:05:00) State of AI Usage in Healthtech Marketing""(00:07:00) Most Popular AI Tools and Applications""(00:09:00) The Measurement Challenge""(00:12:00) Management Expectations vs. Reality""(00:16:00) Organizational Bottlenecks and Barriers""(00:18:00) The Need for AI Champions""(00:19:00) What the Community Wants Next""(00:22:00) Governance and Ethics Considerations""(00:23:00) Personas, Sales Enablement, and Search""(00:26:00) Strategic vs. Tactical AI Implementation""(00:30:00) Closing Advice from the Research Team""(00:33:00) Key Takeaways and Webinar Announcement"Join us for an in depth webinar covering the AI Cohort Research on October 8th at 1 pm ET.If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.Follow me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!Thank you to our presenting sponsors, HIMSS, a leader in advancing health equity, digital innovation, and data-driven care through technology, policy, and community collaboration. And also HealthcareNOW, 24/7 expert shows, interviews, and podcasts, powering healthcare leaders with innovation, policy, and strategy insights.

In this AI Quick Take episode, I take a look at one of the most fascinating yet misunderstood applications of AI in healthcare: digital twins. While this concept has been around in engineering and technology circles, I wanted to explore what it really means for us as healthcare marketers and why it could be a game-changer for our industry.A digital twin is essentially a virtual model of a real-world process, system, or even a person. Think of it as a digital replica that can simulate how real things behave. In healthcare, we're already seeing exciting applications, such as simulated patient flow through emergency departments, personalized treatment modeling for individual patients, and even simulations of medical devices like pacemakers or MRI machines. What makes these particularly powerful for marketers is that, unlike static personas, digital twins continuously ingest real-world data and evolve over time. I outlined three key marketing use cases that could transform how we work. Creating digital twins of our buyers - essentially persona modeling on steroids. Simulating the value of products before customers ever buy.Helping prospects experience outcomes before deployment.The bottom line is that digital twins could help us solve healthcare's notorious long sales cycles by moving from "trust us, our solution works" to "here's exactly how it'll work in your specific environment." I believe the vendors who master this capability over the next few years will have a significant competitive advantage, being able to prove value in weeks rather than months through immediate outcome simulation.Key Topics Covered“Introduction to Digital Twins (00:00:00)”“Healthcare Applications (00:02:00)”“Marketing Advantages (00:04:00)”“Buyer Digital Twins (00:05:00)”“Product Marketing Applications (00:07:00)”“Sales Enablement (00:08:00)”“Getting Started - Customer Data (00:10:00)”“Content Development Strategy (00:11:00)”“Demo Differentiation (00:11:00)”“Future Vision (00:13:00)”“Closing Advice (00:14:00)”If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.Follow me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!Thank you to our presenting sponsors, HIMSS, a leader in advancing health equity, digital innovation, and data-driven care through technology, policy, and community collaboration. And also HealthcareNOW, 24/7 expert shows, interviews, and podcasts, powering healthcare leaders with innovation, policy, and strategy insights.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with John Lynn, founder of Healthcare IT Today and Swaay Health, and Brittany Quemby, who leads their marketing effort. We discussed the evolving landscape of healthcare technology buyers and the marketing strategies that are most effective in today's increasingly challenging environment.John provides insights into how the healthcare technology buyer is changing and how the committee-driven decision-making process has become even more complex. Buyers are only investing in solutions with clear ROI or AI connections. Without these elements, vendors find themselves in an education mode, preparing for when budgets eventually open up.We also discussed the three major pain points keeping healthcare leaders awake at night: security threats (the 3 AM breach call), AI strategy challenges (navigating the current "best of breed" landscape while waiting for all-in-one solutions), and EHR optimization (maximizing the massive investments already made).Key Topics:“(00:00:00) Introduction”“(00:01:00) - The Origin Story of Swaay Health”“(00:04:00) - The Evolving Healthcare Technology Buyer”“(00:07:00) - Major Pain Points for Healthcare Leaders”“(00:11:00) - Sources of Trust and Influence”“(00:17:00) - The Access Problem”“(00:19:00) - What's Working in Marketing”“(00:25:00) - Video Content Strategy at HIMSS”“(00:28:00) - Content Formats and Trends”“(00:33:00) - Future Marketing Trends”“(00:37:00) - Go-to-Market Strategy Recommendations”If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.Follow me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!Thank you to our presenting sponsors, HIMSS, a leader in advancing health equity, digital innovation, and data-driven care through technology, policy, and community collaboration. And also HealthcareNOW, 24/7 expert shows, interviews, and podcasts, powering healthcare leaders with innovation, policy, and strategy insights.

In this AI Quick Take episode, I explore the critical concept of prompt engineering. This skill is fundamental in transforming how you use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity in your professional work. Most people are using these robust AI systems like glorified search engines, but to unlock their full potential for marketing, sales enablement, and content creation, mastering prompt engineering is essential.AI systems are competent, but they need context, constraints, and clear objectives to deliver truly valuable results. In the episode, I will review the Five Layer Framework for crafting effective prompts: Define the role and contextSet specific objectivesClarify audience and use caseEstablish format and constraintsDefine success criteriaI also walk through practical examples in market research, campaign planning, and sales enablement, showing how this structured approach can save 20-30 hours of manual work while delivering superior results.Key Topics Covered:"(00:00:00) - Episode Introduction""(00:03:00) - What is Prompt Engineering?""(00:06:00) - Basic vs. Engineered Prompt Example""(00:07:00) - The Five Layer Framework""(00:11:00) - Using AI to Help Create Better Prompts""(00:12:00) - Market Research and Analysis Applications""(00:14:00) - Campaign Strategy and Planning""(00:15:00) - Sales Enablement Applications""(00:16:00) - Advanced Prompt Engineering Techniques""(00:20:00) - Common Mistakes to Avoid""(00:21:00) - Closing and Resources"For a detailed walkthrough of AI prompt engineering, ⁠check out our "How To" guide.⁠If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  ⁠Reach out to me directly⁠ to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your LinkedIn questions and challenges.⁠Follow me on LinkedIn⁠.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on ⁠Spotify⁠ or watch us on ⁠YouTube⁠ for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!Thank you to our presenting sponsors, ⁠HIMSS⁠, a leader in advancing health equity, digital innovation, and data-driven care through technology, policy, and community collaboration. And also ⁠HealthcareNOW⁠, 24/7 expert shows, interviews, and podcasts, powering healthcare leaders with innovation, policy, and strategy insights.

In this episode, I delve into a topic that's been personally frustrating me and affecting countless other LinkedIn users: the dramatic decline in organic reach and engagement on the platform. LinkedIn has been instrumental in building Health Launchpad's brand over the years, but like many others, I've noticed it's simply not working the way it used to.Richard Vander Blom's comprehensive LinkedIn Algorithm Report is an incredible resource that I reference in this episode.This reveals some stark statistics from February 2024 to February 2025:50% decline in reach (impressions) across the platform25% decline in engagement (likes, shares, comments)41% decline in follower growth rates95% of creators have experienced declining reachLinkedIn has fundamentally changed its algorithm to prioritize relevance over exposure. Where we once used LinkedIn for broad amplification, the platform now focuses on getting content in front of fewer but more relevant people. This LinkedIn decline, combined with decreasing SEO-driven traffic due to AI overviews, means two key pillars of inbound marketing are becoming less effective. Both Google and LinkedIn have changed in ways that make inbound marketing more challenging. This, in turn, increases the pressure to buy ads. This forces us as marketers to fundamentally rethink our inbound strategies.In this episode, I present my seven-point strategy for adapting to these changes. It's still possible to build meaningful connections and grow your business through LinkedIn. The key is to accept that the old playbook no longer works and to embrace these new realities.Key Topics“(00:00:00) Introduction”“(00:03:00) LinkedIn's importance to Health Launchpad and declining performance”“(00:05:00) Richard Vander Blom's LinkedIn Algorithm Report findings”“(00:08:00) LinkedIn's algorithm shift: relevance over exposure”“(00:17:00) Seven strategies introduction”“(00:19:00) Strategy 1: Niche focus and target audience sizing”“(00:21:00) Strategy 2: Engagement metrics over reach metrics”“(00:22:00) Strategy 3: Active engagement"“(00:24:00) Strategy 4: Mobile-first content creation and formats”“(00:27:00) Strategy 5: Building following through consistency”“(00:30:00) Strategy 6: Daily connection building (30-40 invites)”“(00:33:00) Strategy 7: LinkedIn newsletters as content format”“(00:35:00) Broader implications: SEO and LinkedIn both declining”“(00:37:00) Call to action for listener feedback and connection”Check out our full blog post for a deep dive into LinkedIn’s algorithm changes.Here are the other posts I referenced:How to Master LinkedIn, Build Your Brand and WinCustomersMy Insane LinkedIn RoutineLatest LinkedIn Ads BestPractices for Healthtech MarketersInterested in exploring how to improve your LinkedIn strategy? ⁠Reach out to me directly⁠ to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call—just an opportunity to talk through your LinkedIn questions and challenges.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!

In this AI Quick Take, I do my best to demystify the confusing landscape of AI models that's been a little overwhelming. The AI world feels like the mid-'90s browser wars all on steroids, with multiple companies vying for dominance, each with its own approach and philosophy.I started by breaking down the major players. The big story isn't just about who has the smartest model - it's about trust, speed, and who controls the interface between you and AI. I also go into how our company went through the process of selecting OpenAI as our enterprise platform, and why GPT-5's consolidation approach and improved reasoning capabilities could make it compelling for health tech marketing applications.Most importantly, I explored what this means for us as healthcare marketers. With AI getting better at complex research and evaluation, our buyers are going to do even deeper analysis before they ever engage with vendors. This creates both a challenge - harder to reach prospects early - and an opportunity to feed the AI beast with more comprehensive content that influences those AI-powered research sessions.Key Topics Covered:“(00:00:00) Introduction and GPT-5 Overview”“(00:01:00) The Complexity Problem”“(00:04:00) The Major AI Players Breakdown”“(00:11:00) Company AI Platform Selection”“(00:13:00) GPT-5 Deep Dive”“(00:16:00) Implications for Health Tech Marketing”Interested in exploring how to improve your AI enablement strategy? Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call—just an opportunity to talk through your LinkedIn questions and challenges.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!

In this episode, I sit down with Kristin Russel, CMO of symplr, to unpack how she’s building a unified brand in one of the most complex corners of healthcare — and doing it right in the middle of the AI revolution. Kristin shares how symplr has evolved from a collection of acquired companies into the “backbone of healthcare operations,” and why that’s required not just smart marketing but category creation. We explore her concept of “branded demand,” how she balances ABM, demand gen, and opportunity marketing, and why she believes you can’t outwork complexity — you have to outsmart it. From AI-driven personalization to surviving the shift toward AI-powered search, Kristin offers an inside look at how one of healthcare’s biggest players is keeping their marketing fresh, relevant, and human.Key Topics:“(00:00) Kristin’s untraditional path to marketing”“(03:00) The symplr story”“(09:30) Creating a new category”“(16:00) Growth marketing beyond new logos”“(21:45) The art of “branded demand”“(26:00) Adapting to the AI search shift”“(30:00) Always On / Always Optimizing”“(35:00) AI in content creation”“(39:00) Personalization at scale”“(41:45) Kristin’s closing advice”Check out our full blog post where I break down Kristin’s approach to “Branded Demand”.Interested in exploring how to build your brand? Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call—just an opportunity to talk through your LinkedIn questions and challenges.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!

In this AI Quick Takes episode, I review one of the most intriguing recent developments in AI - OpenAI's introduction of ChatGPT Agent. I break down what makes ChatGPT Agent fundamentally different from the ChatGPT we're all familiar with.I also explore how this could be applied in healthcare marketing. For example, whether you're launching a new RevCycle solution upgrade or running ABM campaigns, the agent could handle everything from competitive research to creating personalized messaging at scale. The possibilities are genuinely exciting, though I noted that even Sam Altman seemed cautious about what they're unleashing, which tells you something about the power of this technology.Key Topics Covered“(00:00:00) Introduction & ChatGPT Agent Overview”“(00:01:30) Core Capabilities Breakdown”“(00:03:00) Healthcare Use Case: Revenue Cycle Research”“(00:07:00) Marketing Applications”“(00:09:00) Why This Is Different & Personalization Possibilities”“(00:11:00) Closing Thoughts & Next Steps”Interested in exploring how to improve your AI enablement strategy? Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call—just an opportunity to talk through your LinkedIn questions and challenges.Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!