In this episode, Jeff Steblea, Vice President of Growth Solutions at Unlock Health, shares his extensive expertise on turning paid digital strategies into measurable growth.
With a background rooted in marketing research and data-driven decision-making, Jeff emphasizes the importance of working backwards from clear goals, avoiding vanity metrics, and focusing on real return on investment (ROI). His insights highlight how aligning messaging, landing pages, and operational capacity can transform digital advertising from a potential expense into a high-performing growth engine.
We discuss key tactics such as setting appropriate thresholds for cost per acquisition, leveraging negative keywords, and the vital role of dedicated landing pages to maximize conversions.
Jeff also debunks myths around AI's impact on paid search, explaining how paid media remains a critical part of the digital landscape, especially with organic search becoming more driven by AI summaries.
His advice helps senior living marketers optimize their efforts to capture high-intent demand confidently and operationally prepare for increased volume, ensuring marketing investments lead to meaningful results.
Key Takeaways:
- Define your success metrics and align on ROI before spending.
- Develop dedicated landing pages with clear calls to action to improve conversion rates.
- Manage campaigns with continuous optimization, focusing on CPA and impression share.
- Rely on data and negative keywords to enhance campaign efficiency.
- Appropriately harness AI as a supplement, not a replacement, for paid search strategies.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Working backward from goals to design effective paid digital strategies
- 00:56 - The importance of aligning goals with success metrics over vanity metrics
- 02:15 - Paid search remains a top driver of occupancy growth in senior living
- 03:50 - Jeff's background in marketing research and digital evolution in health care
- 09:16 - Why many organizations hesitate to leverage paid media effectively
- 10:45 - Setting realistic thresholds for cost per lead and campaign leverage
- 17:54 - The critical role of landing pages in paid digital success
- 20:11 - Best practices for CPC management, impression share, and ad positioning
- 21:28 - The significance of negative keywords and operational readiness
- 29:17 - How paid search and SEO inform and reinforce each other
- 31:13 - The impact of AI on search and the future relevance of paid search
- 33:04 - Operational considerations for handling increased campaign volume Resources &
You can email Jeff at jeff.steblea@unlockhealthnow.com
Playback options
A PODCAST OF UNLOCK HEALTH
The Move In Senior Living Marketing
Data Beyond Clicks: Paid Media Best Practices That Drive Qualified Leads (with Jeff Steblea)
March 31, 2026 • Season 2 • Episode 5 • Data Insight Series #4 of 5
A PODCAST OF UNLOCK HEALTH
The Move In Senior Living Marketing
Data Beyond Clicks:
Paid Media Best Practices That Drive Qualified Leads
with Jeff Steblea
March 31, 2026 • S2E05
Want to know how Unlock generates more qualified leads with our senior living digital marketing strategies?
Unlock Health • The Move In Senior Living Marketing Podcast
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“You have to work backwards from the goals and objectives that you have. If you're going to design a paid digital strategy, you need to start at what outcomes you're looking for and work backwards.”
Jeff Steblea
VP of Growth Solutions
Unlock Health
Clip 1 (1m 24s)
AI is reducing organic clicks, but that’s making paid search more valuable, not less. Here’s what senior living marketers need to understand right now.
More clips from this season are available here.
Clip 2 (2m 33s)
Clicks don’t prove value. Leads do. If you can’t tie spend to cost per lead, leadership won’t buy in. Here’s how to measure paid digital the right way.
Clip 3 (1m 24s)
Most landing pages fail because they’re unclear. The fix: 2 strong CTAs: one call, one form. Here’s how to convert more senior living prospects.
