Heartlinks Hospice
Non-Profit Marketing Case Study
Heartlinks Hospice
Turning a great mission into a stronger digital presence.
Heartlinks provides hospice and palliative care to families across Benton and Yakima Counties. Their care is exceptional—but their website wasn’t keeping up. It was hard to manage, hard to navigate, and didn’t reflect the heart of their work. They needed a better tool—and a smarter way to reach people who needed them most.
Pain Points:
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A dated website that was difficult to update in-house
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No way to easily share or manage upcoming events and fundraisers
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A need to clearly explain hospice vs. palliative care
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Ongoing confusion around cost—many didn’t know how hospice is paid for
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A small team with limited time and budget for marketing
Phase I: Building the foundation
A refreshed website, real visuals, and a stronger story.
We started by rebuilding their digital foundation—making the site easier to use, more visually engaging, and better aligned with their mission. We also spent time on-site, capturing authentic photo and video content that brings the warmth of their care to life.
What We Delivered:
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A clean, mobile-friendly WordPress website
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Easy-to-manage backend and flexible event calendar
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On-site brand photography at their Adult Family Home in Sunnyside and their Hospice Benefit Shops in Prosser & Zillah
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A brand video and an emotional impact video for their annual Gala
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Local SEO setup to help more families find them online
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Full technical SEO, including redirects and metadata, to support their website transition
We had the privilege of working with Cougar Digital to create a video for our annual Hospice Gala, and we couldn't be happier with the results. The team captured the heart of what we do beautifully, creating a piece that was both moving and true to our mission. Josh, in particular, was outstanding. His compassionate approach made our interviewee feel comfortable and valued, allowing them to share their story openly and genuinely. The video resonated deeply with our guests, effectively conveying the essence of hospice care and the impact of our work on patients and their families. Thank you, Cougar Digital, for helping us share our story in such an impactful way!
Shelby Moore
Heartlinks Hospice
Phase II: Getting the word out
Smart, strategic outreach that made the most of every dollar.
Once the site was live, we turned our focus to outreach. Because hospice care is often misunderstood—or discovered too late—our strategy centered on education and awareness, all built to work within a nonprofit budget.
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A brand awareness display campaign targeting the local community
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Setup and management of a Google Grants Ad account (up to $10K/month in free ad spend)
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A small but strategic Google Ads budget to support high-intent search queries
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Messaging focused on clarifying what hospice is, how it’s different from palliative care, and that it’s covered at no cost to families
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Ongoing blogging to support organic SEO and AIO efforts
Why Google Grants + Paid Search?
Google Grants accounts are a great way for nonprofits to get free search exposure—but they come with limitations. Ads can only run on specific keywords, can’t bid over $2 per click, and often show in lower positions. That means your most important messages might not reach the right people at the right time.
The Results
More reach. More clarity. More impact.
Over the course of the campaign, Heartlinks saw a major lift in brand awareness, site traffic, and meaningful engagement—especially from Benton and Yakima County users searching for hospice care.
Summing it Up
A marketing plan built to support the mission.
Heartlinks Hospice needed a website that worked—and a strategy that made sense for a small nonprofit. We gave them both. The new site is modern, easy to manage, and built to support events, outreach, and care education. With smart use of video, photography, and SEO, we helped them connect more deeply with the community. And by combining Google Grants with paid ads, we stretched a limited budget to reach the people who needed them most.
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