Sunny Ray talks with Ryan W. Gates of PANO Marketing about why federally qualified health centers deserve stronger marketing. Gates explains that his background is in film and television, not healthcare, until a local community health leader invited him onto a board. He served there for 10 years and discovered a passion for nonprofit healthcare. He describes how his team asks 'why' before choosing tactics, why he prefers strategy over chasing virality, and how marketing can raise revenue that lets health centers serve more uninsured and self-pay patients. Gates also explains the outsourced marketing department model, which uses flexible monthly retainers to fit grant-funded budgets, and shares a story about pausing billing for a client whose funding changed. He talks about building a family-like culture in a five-person Wichita office, using AI responsibly as a tool rather than a replacement, and his plans to grow into struggling markets. The episode closes with how to reach the company, which grows entirely through word of mouth.
Ryan W. Gates explains why marketing is not about making things pretty, and how it helps health centers serve more patients.
What did sitting on a health center board for 10 years teach you about marketing?
Honestly, everything. My background is in film and television, not healthcare. A local community health leader asked me to join her board, and I told her I knew storytelling and marketing, not healthcare. She said healthcare needs marketing too. Over 10 years I learned about nonprofits and governance, and I fell in love with nonprofit healthcare.
How often do clients ask you to make them go viral?
More often than I have fingers and toes, though less in healthcare than in my for-profit product marketing days. Virality is luck, and I would rather bank on strategy. Let's define what success looks like, build a roadmap to get there, and if we hit virality along the way, great.
Your site says strategy comes before tactics. How does asking why help clients?
Clients often ask for a flyer or a video right away. We play the toddler game and keep asking why until we reach the real need, like getting a certain number of people to an event. Then we build tactics around that goal. Healthcare has deprioritized marketing for so long that clients lead with tactics.
Why do health centers doing vital work often go without good marketing?
Most of my clients are federally qualified health centers, where everyone gets high quality care regardless of income or insurance. There's a scarcity mindset that money should go to patients, which is beautiful. But marketing isn't making things pretty. It's return on investment. More paying patients means we can serve more uninsured and self-pay patients.
What made the outsourced marketing department subscription model click for you?
I was tired of firms that just sell ads, and of one person wearing twenty hats. I was that jack of all trades, good at many things and great at none. Instead of paying one person, I spread the same budget across a dispersed team of specialists, with flexible monthly retainers instead of long lock-ins.
Why do you prefer flexible monthly arrangements over long contracts?
Many of my nonprofit clients are grant funded, so their needs and budgets fluctuate. I don't want anyone working with us because they're contractually obligated. When one client's funding changed, we stopped billing and used their accrued hours while they reorganized. Then we built a new strategic plan within their new budget.
What does culture look like at your company?
I spend more waking hours with my team than with my wife and kids. I was taught to separate family from business, but here it's the opposite. These people are my work family. We're deeply involved in each other's lives, and that brings trust, respect, love, and frustration. It's a passion and a career now.
How do you show a health center that marketing can help serve more patients?
I use case studies, with permission and HIPAA compliance, showing strategy, metrics, and return on investment. We also dig into payer mix during kickoff. If we shift the mix toward higher paying sources like Medicaid, within their capacity, the new revenue model funds more charity care that goes back into the community.
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