Stephen Ebbett Podcast Transcript
Stephen Ebbett joins host Brian Thomas on The Digital Executive Podcast.
Welcome to Coruzant Technologies, home of the Digital Executive Podcast.
Brian Thomas: Welcome to The Digital Executive. Today’s guest is Stephen Ebbett. Stephen Ebbett is the chief marketing officer at AMFM Healthcare, a nationwide leader in mental health treatment, offering a full continuum of care for those struggling with mental health challenges. A mission driven and strategic marketing leader, Stephen has spent two decades spearheading initiatives that expanded access to care, remove barriers for individuals seeking treatment and connect people with the life changing support they need.
Prior to joining AMFM Healthcare, Stephen served as the Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at American Addiction Centers, where he led efforts to help individuals and families navigate the complexities of substance abuse and co occurring mental health treatment. Under his leadership, American Addiction Centers strengthened its digital and outreach strategies, making it easier for those in crisis to find and access care.
Well, good afternoon, Stephen, welcome to the show.
Stephen Ebbett: Good afternoon, Brian. It’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me on.
Brian Thomas: Absolutely. Love doing this. Really do appreciate you making the time. We’re two hours difference here in San Diego, California, beautiful near my old stomping grounds. I’m in Kansas city.
So again, appreciate you making the time. So Stephen, let’s jump into your first question. Can you share your journey from leading digital strategies in various industries? To become the chief marketing officer at AM FM health care and what motivated you to transition into the mental health sector?
Stephen Ebbett: It’s been a wonderful journey.
I remember becoming fascinated by digital in the mid nineties when I sent my first email on Yahoo and I got a response back from my friend within a. a matter of minutes and I thought this is quite something this new digital arena that has been launched and I’ve been fascinated by digital ever since and started my career in digital marketing in e commerce, uh, then worked into the insurance sector and really wanted to do something that applied my skills to something.
There was more mission driven and wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. And, uh, as we all know, unfortunately, there’s a mental health epidemic in the country at the moment. So I was passionate about connecting with people through digital mediums to help them find, you know, hopefully life changing access to care.
Brian Thomas: Thank you for sharing the story. I love that getting into that digital marketing space doing some great things, but then you found your purpose connecting people to get great mental health. And I think that’s important. As you know, we do have a crisis globally in this space. I know we do, at least in the United States, pretty bad.
So I appreciate. Folks like you jumping in and helping out to make the world a better place. Stephen, given your experience in digital transformation across various sectors, how do you envision technology enhancing accessibility and effectiveness in mental health care services?
Stephen Ebbett: I think it’s a great question.
I think, you know, accessibility is an issue for many Americans and, you know, and people around the globe. And so what we’re trying to do as a, in the mental health industry and certainly here at AMFM Healthcare is to expand kind of access to care. You know, a lot of folks are in rural areas, difficult to reach areas.
They have potentially complex schedules that don’t allow them to access physical care easily. They may have ambulatory issues. They may have anxiety or concerns about going out in public based on their mental health. And so I think the expansion of virtual digital telehealth has really opened up access to care for people like that who don’t find accessing care easy or in areas or have health concerns or issues that prevent them accessing care.
And we’re really proud of the expansions and the facility that virtual telehealth provides to those prospective patients. I think telehealth also provides In some ways, a closer proximity between the caregiver and the client due to the ease of that connection, the regularity with which that connection can happen, the flexibility to work within their lifestyle, and in some ways, it’s less intrusive and less intimidating.
One of the barriers to accessing care is anxiety. Is that concern about going into another environment, experiencing that care within the comfort of your own home, as we’re all familiar doing so through zoom and other other platforms, it can provide a lot of comfort for clients as well.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. I appreciate that.
I really like the fact that you’re really focusing on that virtual telehealth part. It’s a game changer, right? There’s got people that their location, they might be rural, their work schedule. Some people are reclusive. But again, that virtual telehealth is definitely going to be a game changer for this population, building that safe, less intrusive care to build that better relationship between the provider and the consumer.
So I appreciate that. And Steven, as a mission driven marketing leader, how do you ensure that AMFM Healthcare’s marketing strategies align with ethical considerations and genuinely serve those seeking mental health support?
Stephen Ebbett: I think the first and most important thing is, you know, is highlighting client privacy.
At AMFM Healthcare, we have a high level of respect and care for HIPAA laws and the privacy under which all patients consider, explore care, and then that ongoing HIPAA protection throughout their care journey. Very much considering which options to take as regards your mental health, there’s many people that are involved in that decision.
Families are involved in that decision, obviously the patients themselves, other loved ones within the communities, colleagues, and so it’s really important that there’s a strong degree of privacy that’s built into that. And then in terms of our marketing strategies in terms of mental health care, So much of any healthcare decision and mental health decisions are no different is built on trust.
Do I trust the provider that I’m receiving care from? Do they have credibility? And how are they showcasing their efficacy? These are very, very important decisions. And as I stated earlier, life changing decisions. And so we want to make sure here at AMFM Healthcare. That our clients and our families, that decision making unit has access to data that is evidence based about the efficacy of the program that they’re entering and that they can build that trust and relationship with the care team who’s going to give, deliver that care.
Thank you. I appreciate that. And foundationally, trust is, it doesn’t matter what sector you’re in, but, but especially in the mental health space, you have to have that trust between the organization, the provider, and the consumer, the client. And I liked how you highlighted that client privacy as being utmost important, obviously.
The good work is done when trust is built and trust is, is grown and built. And so if we can grow trust as digital marketers on the front end, then. Those first steps in care are that little bit easier and the ability for someone to open up and talk more vulnerably about what they’re experiencing and start to make progress on that healing journey.
Brian Thomas: Absolutely. I appreciate that. Stephen, last question of the day, reflecting on your diverse career, what do you believe are the critical components of an effective marketing strategy in the healthcare industry, particularly in mental health services?
Stephen Ebbett: I think that overarchingly for me as a marketer, it has always been about accessing patients sort of where they are and providing communication and access to information in the channels which they are absorbing and looking for information in.
So we very much split our strategy into a B2B strategy. and a B2C strategy. So from a B2B perspective, who are we going to? Who are our trusted communities? That might be our primary care physician, that might be a therapist that we’re seeing, that might be in the workplace an EAP as an example, or a union.
And so building and fueling those parties with the correct information to be able to support that prospective client is really important from a B2B perspective. And then from a B2C perspective, again, where are individuals looking for support, looking for information? Typically, as we know, in this omni channel environment, in this digital world that we all live in today, it’s Google.
It’s Meta, it’s TikTok, it’s other search engines and other social media platforms. And so for us at AMFM Healthcare, it’s very much about having the right levels of data, information, consumer education in each of those channels so that Consumers can find the information they’re looking for. This is a very important decision.
It’s a decision that is very well informed and very well researched and we want to provide transparency. We want to provide clarity. We want to provide facts that help them to make that decision and choose the provider that’s right for them.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. I think that’s great. Nowadays, a lot of times, and you know, this is a marketer, it’s not about trying to make that sale or you’re putting out valuable information, that educational information that will attract people in again, build that trust so that they will come in and visit.
And of course you highlighted, I think a big part of that is finding the right partners in the B2B space, people that are working with these consumers in some other fashion, healthcare fashion or other fashion. I think that’s important as well. So Basically hit both angles there on the B2B and the B2C.
So again, I appreciate that. Stephen, it was such a pleasure having you on today, and I look forward to speaking with you real soon.
Stephen Ebbett: Thank you, Brian. I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Brian Thomas: Bye for now.
Stephen Ebbett Podcast Transcript. Listen to the audio on the guest’s Podcast Page.
