The Maryland Department of Health needed to drive greater awareness and engagement around its 2025 Advanced Directives campaign — a critical initiative encouraging residents to make proactive choices about their healthcare. But cutting through the noise of traditional digital ads can be difficult, especially when the topic is sensitive or unfamiliar.
The Maryland Department of Health had previously run awareness campaigns on Nextdoor, but for 2025, the team aimed to build on that momentum and improve click-through performance across the board. The goal was to build on 2024 campaign results by reaching more residents in a trusted, local environment and encouraging meaningful action.
Nextdoor was a natural fit for the Maryland Department of Health's goals. As a platform rooted in real people and real neighborhoods, Nextdoor is where residents turn for trusted information and recommendations — especially on topics that impact their daily lives and communities.
Unlike traditional social platforms, Nextdoor isn’t built around entertainment or influencers — it’s built around local relevance and shared experience. For a public health message, that means higher engagement, more credibility, and more meaningful action.
To improve engagement, the Maryland Department of Health leveraged Nextdoor’s Click Optimization strategy, designed to automatically serve ads to neighbors most likely to take action. By tapping into the power of local context and community trust, the Maryland Department of Health's message reached high-intent users in neighborhoods across Maryland.
To drive stronger performance, the Maryland Department of Health activated Nextdoor’s Click Optimization strategy — a performance-focused delivery method that automatically serves ads to neighbors most likely to click and engage.
Paired with contextually relevant creative and statewide targeting, the Maryland Department of Health's campaign was designed to meet people where they already were: having real conversations with neighbors they trust.
