Every healthcare marketing strategy, ad campaign, and website needs some T.L.C. every now and then.
But at a healthcare organization where the leadership team is busy, resources are limited, and the marketing budget is stretched thin, advocating for change can be easier said than done.
If you have marketing goals planned for 2025 that will require leadership buy-in, don’t worry — it is possible to secure leadership’s trust and approval to get your website redesign, campaign, or other marketing initiative off the ground.
Here are actionable tips to help you build credibility, prove return on investment, and gain the buy-in you need.
Start with an audit
Your first step to gaining leadership support is to understand where you’re starting from.
A thorough audit of the tactics you’re currently using and the results they’re bringing in — whether that’s appointments made online, the number of visitors to your website, clicks on a digital advertising campaign, etc. — will help you identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement before you present your ideas.
Once you know how your current tactics are performing, you’ll have more leverage to showcase the value of marketing and the ROI it can deliver to your organization.
Showcase your healthcare marketing data
Leadership teams are more likely to support initiatives that are grounded in data. Using the data from your audit, create a presentation that visually displays the impact marketing has on patient experiences and conversions.
This will help your requests for new marketing initiatives or funds resonate with the leadership team and show how the work your team has done so far is aligned with your organization’s mission.
You can also pull in industry data from outside your organization, like the industry average for how often a website should be redesigned or the latest stats on the percentage of consumers looking for personalized digital experiences.
Tackle low-hanging fruit first
Depending on your organization’s budget situation, you may not be able to pitch a complete website redesign, advertising campaign, or brand-new intranet. But that doesn’t mean you have to let your digital presence grow stagnant!
If budget or resources are a concern, consider pitching small, incremental changes that can still make an impact on your marketing results. This could include reassessing the keywords used in your digital advertising campaigns, updating ad or landing page art and content, refreshing your website’s homepage navigation, or fixing any website errors or dead ends.
These smaller changes require less time and money to complete but should still give you data to prove why investing in marketing is worth it and build trust with your leadership team.
Build a business case for healthcare marketing
If you do want to take on a larger-scale project, a well-crafted business case will be essential to convincing leadership to invest in your initiatives.
One key piece of a successful business case is aligning your proposal with wider organizational priorities like patient acquisition and retention or staff recruitment.
Include a ballpark estimate of how this project will impact those goals, if possible — for example, you could provide your goal for how your project will increase the number of appointments made online or conversions from a paid ad campaign. (And if you’re working with a partner like Geonetric, we can provide case study examples of how similar projects benefited other organizations.)
Once you have your target goal, detail a clear timeline to help set expectations. With a data-driven, goal-oriented proposal, you’ll not only have an easier time presenting your vision but also getting the leadership buy-in you need to start your project.
Maintain ongoing communication and transparency
Before you finish your proposal, show the leadership team your plans for regular and open communication throughout the course of your project. After all, building trust with leadership doesn’t end after securing this initial buy-in.
Include a proposed schedule for regular check-ins to review progress and address challenges, as well as your plans to share performance metrics. Staying transparent throughout the process helps maintain confidence and encourages collaboration on future marketing efforts.
Engage internal champions
Is there anyone at your organization who isn’t directly involved with marketing but will be a stakeholder in the project you want to take on? Involve them in the proposal stage by sharing your vision and providing them with data and talking points to advocate for your initiatives!
Internal champions can amplify your ideas and influence decision-makers within your organization.
Once you have leadership buy-in, keep these champions involved with pilot projects, update meetings, and brainstorms to showcase collaboration and how your project will benefit your entire organization — not just marketing.
Planning help from a trusted healthcare marketing partner
Securing leadership buy-in for healthcare marketing initiatives doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the tips shared above, you can build trust and demonstrate the value of your healthcare marketing efforts to get the support you need for your next project.
If you’re in the early stages of planning a website redesign, check out our blog post on convincing leadership that your healthcare website needs improving.
Have marketing ideas you want to pursue this year but aren’t sure where to begin? Start by contacting Geonetric! We have more than 25 years of experience helping healthcare marketers like you bring their marketing visions to life and gaining leadership buy-in and trust that their projects will make a difference.
