Case Studies
How a Rural Hospital
Strengthened Its
Marketing Function,
Expanded Reach, and
Deepened Community Trust
About Russell Medical
Russell Medical is an independent rural hospital located in Alexander City, Alabama, serving a broad region of Lake Martin communities. With service lines spanning inpatient care, surgery, oncology, diagnostics, and primary care, the hospital plays a critical role in the health of its community.
Like many rural hospitals, Russell Medical operates with real constraints: limited resources, a small team, and rising pressure to compete with larger regional systems - while maintaining exceptional care close to home.
The Challenge
Russell Medical leadership recognized an opportunity to strengthen and centralize its marketing approach in a scalable way. With multiple priorities across a lean internal structure, the hospital wanted to ensure its marketing efforts were:
More consistent across departments and channels
Unified under a clear strategy and measurable priorities
Better positioned to support service-line growth and patient access
Driven by data and accountability to guide decisions
Tailored to rural realities (not cookie-cutter healthcare marketing)
CEO Jim Peace was instrumental in identifying the need for a strategic marketing partner - one that could help Russell Medical build a more unified, data-driven approach while staying budget conscious. His leadership helped set the direction for a partnership designed to strengthen service-line visibility, community trust, and measurable performance.
We wanted sharper direction and focus - and to do things differently in a data-driven way. 121GM gave us the opportunity to do more with a leaner budget, which was intriguing. The creative capability and hands-on partnership were exactly what we were looking for.
Jim Peace, CEO, Russell Medical
Despite limited resources, Russell Medical wanted a strategic partner who could:
Strengthen and modernize a marketing function without adding full-time overhead
Provide ongoing direction and measurable accountability
Understand Russell Medical - not just healthcare, but their hospital and community
Deliver more impact with less budget
Why Russell Medical Chose 121G Marketing
The partnership began through a community connection with the Russell Medical Foundation and a meeting with 121G Marketing (121GM) Managing Partner, Alex Hoskins. Mabry recalls being immediately impressed with Alex on a personal and professional level. When he later attended the 121G Grand Opening, he was able to see what he described as "the layer behind the company" - the depth of the team, the infrastructure, and the full support system behind the work.
It became clear that partnering with 121GM would help Russell Medical pursue a more progressive, data-driven direction in marketing - one that many rural hospitals don't typically have the opportunity to implement at scale.
The 121G Marketing Approach
121G Marketing did not come in with a pre-built healthcare template. Instead, the team embedded themselves inside Russell Medical to learn:
The Culture
The People
The leadership priorities
The operational realities
The service lines with the most opportunity to grow market share
121GM success came from:
- A unified marketing strategy
- Content calendars
- Redesigned communications and campaigns
- Clear messaging for key service lines
- Data-backed recommendations to guide resource allocation
121G Marketing has never felt like an outside agency. They're part of our team. They took the time to understand our hospital, our people, and our community. They established our strategy and put the right initiatives in place to achieve our goals.
Mabry Cook, Executive Director of Outreach & Strategic Branding, Russell Medical
Key Campaigns and Deliverables
121GM provided a fully in-house marketing engine, including:
Marketing roadmap and 12-month strategic plan
Brand refresh across digital and print
Social media relaunch, increasing consistency and community relevance
Service line campaigns
Creative design and messaging across channels
Community engagement campaigns
Website redesign support and digital infrastructure modernization
Results
The partnership between Russell Medical and 121G Marketing has produced measurable, organization-wide impact - strengthening patient engagement, improving visibility across high-value service lines, modernizing communications, and helping leadership make more data-driven decisions.
Here's what changed in seven months (April 1 - October 31, 2025):
1. Significant Growth in Reach, Visibility, and Service-Line Demand
Facebook impressions YTD, showing sharp increases during brand-level, recruitment, and service-line campaigns
users reached (+13.5%), including thousands of prospective patients in surrounding counties
content interactions, demonstrating heightened community engagement
Increased LinkedIn followers, strengthening provider, recruitment, and referral visibility
2. Major Increase in Website Traffic and High-Intent Patient Behavior
active website users
accessing hospital services, providers, and clinical information
new users,
demonstrating strong community and regional interest
Organic Search
traffic source, signaling growth in patient intent and service-line demand
3. Email Marketing Surpassed Industry Benchmarks and Re-Engaged the Community
emails delivered YTD
with strategic content tied to community health, seasonal needs, and service-line education
average open rate,
exceeding the healthcare benchmark of 34%
Strong list growth
through improved form capture and integrated communications
4. Unified Brand Voice Strengthened Reputation and Patient Trust
A consistent brand tone and visual identity across digital, print, and in-hospital communications
Clear storytelling that humanizes providers and highlights community impact
Integrated communications aligned with hospital values and service-line priorities
5. Strong Vendor Optimization Resulted in Approximately $40K Cost Savings
Approximately $40,000 in cost savings, without sacrificing capability or coverage
Dollars were reallocated into high-impact marketing initiatives
Generic vendor approaches were replaced with personalized, data-driven strategies
6. Increased Internal Alignment and Integration Across the Hospital
Built strong relationships with department leaders across the organization
Provided ongoing strategic guidance to service lines
Improved internal communication through a more consistent brand and storytelling approach
Partnered with departments proactively, not transactionally - ensuring marketing aligned with operational needs and patient demand
7. Launched Major Community and Education Initiatives
Fully integrated Medicare and insurance education initiative, including a high-traffic Insurance Fair with strong community turnout
Seasonal health campaigns (flu, wellness, safety) tied to patient demand cycles
Increased visibility of screenings, diagnostics, and preventive care events
Summary of Impact
121G Marketing did not come in with a pre-built healthcare template. Instead, the team embedded themselves inside Russell Medical to learn:
Higher visibility across core revenue-driving service lines
Increased patient activation and digital demand
Stronger community engagement
A more unified brand experience
Cost savings that maximized ROI
A more modern, effective, and accountable marketing function
All without the overhead of rebuilding a full in-house marketing department.
Why This Partnership Works
Russell Medical wanted a solution different from traditional rural marketing vendors. 121GM delivered:
Conclusion
The partnership between Russell Medical and 121G Marketing demonstrates what's possible when rural hospitals invest in strategic, accountable marketing.
With transparency, creativity, and data-driven strategy, 121GM helped Russell Medical accelerate measurable growth — while staying within constrained budgets and strengthening community trust.
This case shows that with the right partner, rural hospitals can modernize communications and expand their reach to better serve their community — without the traditional overhead.