Episode 112: Marketing Trust in Healthcare: Apex Skin’s Growth Strategy

What does it take to market a healthcare brand in one of the most competitive industries in the country while still maintaining trust, clinical credibility, and a near 5-star patient experience? In this episode of Marketing Moves, Apex Skin’s Ruth Barnum and Johanna Maas share how their all-women marketing team is scaling a 15-location dermatology brand through authentic storytelling, hyperlocal strategy, operational alignment, and patient-first marketing.

Healthcare marketing has changed dramatically over the last decade. Patients are no longer simply choosing providers based on proximity or insurance coverage. They’re researching online, comparing reviews, evaluating social proof, watching influencer content, and making healthcare decisions through the same lens they use to choose restaurants, fitness brands, or beauty products.

That shift creates both a massive opportunity and a massive challenge for healthcare brands.

On this episode of Marketing Moves, host Ashtyn Morris sits down with Ruth Barnum, VP of Marketing & Aesthetics, and Johanna Maas, Director of Marketing at Apex Skin, to unpack what it really takes to market a modern healthcare brand in 2026. Together, they lead an all-women marketing team behind one of Northeast Ohio’s most respected physician-owned dermatology practices, a brand that has served more than 1 million patients, treated over 100,000 skin cancers, and maintained a near-perfect patient satisfaction rating across 15 locations.

Their story is about much more than healthcare marketing.

It’s about trust.

One of the biggest themes throughout the episode is the relationship between marketing and clinic execution. Ruth explains that because she oversees both marketing and aesthetics, she has a unique perspective into how tightly connected those departments really are.

In healthcare, great marketing alone is not enough. A campaign can generate massive demand, but if the clinic experience fails to deliver on the promise, the strategy ultimately breaks down. Ruth shares that before the teams became more integrated, there were moments where marketing and operations operated with different priorities, creating frustration and disconnect between departments.

Now, the organization approaches growth differently. Marketing, operations, and aesthetics work collaboratively with aligned goals and shared accountability. That shift has transformed not only internal communication, but also the patient experience itself.

It’s an important reminder for any service-based business: marketing cannot outpace execution. The customer experience is the brand.

For Apex Skin, trust is not just a marketing message. It’s something they intentionally try to create at every stage of the patient journey. Ruth explains that whether someone is exploring the website, calling to schedule an appointment, or physically walking through the doors of a clinic, the goal is to make patients feel confident they’re receiving expert care from a compassionate team.

That becomes especially important in dermatology because many patients are entering appointments from a place of vulnerability. Some may be worried about skin cancer, while others are seeking aesthetic treatments tied closely to confidence and self-image. Apex Skin’s approach is rooted in making patients feel seen, informed, and cared for no matter why they’re coming in.

One of the clearest examples of this philosophy is how the organization has streamlined access to care. While many healthcare systems can require patients to wait months for dermatology appointments, Apex Skin prioritizes speed and accessibility. Patients can often be seen the same day, receive biopsy results quickly through Apex’s in-house dermatopathology lab, and move rapidly into treatment if necessary.

That operational efficiency doesn’t just improve outcomes. It dramatically reduces patient anxiety during what can be an incredibly stressful experience.

The medical aesthetics market has exploded over the last several years. With med spas appearing seemingly everywhere and aesthetic treatments becoming increasingly mainstream, competition has intensified dramatically.

According to Ruth, when she first joined Apex Skin eight years ago, many dermatology practices were barely marketing at all. Today, the landscape looks completely different. Private equity-backed competitors are investing heavily into advertising, branding, and patient acquisition strategies.

Apex Skin differentiates itself by leaning into its physician-owned identity and clinical expertise.

Rather than treating aesthetics as a purely transactional beauty service, the organization approaches treatments from a medical and patient-first perspective. Patients receive comprehensive evaluations and personalized care plans rather than simply selecting treatments from a menu.

That level of expertise and trust matters more than ever in a category where consumers are becoming increasingly educated and selective about where they spend their money.

Despite the rise of digital marketing and AI-driven search behavior, one of the most interesting takeaways from the conversation is how heavily Apex Skin still values community presence and in-person relationship building.

Johanna explains that one of the most underrated marketing channels in healthcare today is simply showing up in the community.

While the brand invests heavily in digital tactics like social media, paid search, local service ads, SEO, blog content, and influencer marketing, they also prioritize partnerships, events, networking, and face-to-face conversations throughout Northeast Ohio.

That local-first mentality extends into how they approach their 15 locations. Instead of applying one generic campaign across every market, the team adjusts messaging and tactics based on the demographics and needs of each region.

For example, some locations serve older patient populations with a stronger focus on skin cancer prevention and treatment, while other markets skew younger and more aesthetics-focused. The marketing strategy changes accordingly.

This layered approach allows Apex Skin to maintain a cohesive enterprise brand while still speaking directly to the unique audiences within each community.

Another standout portion of the conversation focuses on influencer marketing and why authenticity matters more than reach.

Rather than partnering with creators simply because they have large audiences, Apex Skin prioritizes people who already genuinely use and love the brand.

That includes local personalities like Bridget Linton, Josh and Maria Cribbs, Mark Nolan, and Jen Toohey, who naturally share their experiences with Apex Skin in a way that feels personal and credible rather than scripted.

As Ashtyn points out during the episode, that authenticity is exactly what cuts through the noise online. Consumers can immediately tell when content is forced versus when someone genuinely believes in the experience they’re sharing.

As the episode wraps up, Ruth and Johanna reflect on what it means to lead a growing healthcare brand in such a competitive and rapidly evolving industry. Despite the rise of AI, digital-first patient behavior, and increasing competition in aesthetics and dermatology, their focus remains surprisingly simple: build trust, create genuine patient experiences, and never lose sight of the people behind the numbers.

That philosophy shapes everything at Apex Skin, from how campaigns are built and how locations market differently, to how providers interact with patients inside the clinic. Marketing is not treated as a siloed department. It’s deeply connected to operations, culture, and the overall patient experience.

Throughout the conversation, one thing becomes incredibly clear: long-term growth in healthcare doesn’t come from chasing trends. It comes from consistency, authenticity, and building a brand patients genuinely trust.