One of the advantages of working across healthcare operations, quality, compliance, workforce, and marketing is seeing how closely those functions actually depend on one another. Marketing is sometimes treated as the work that happens after a program has been developed. The team creates the service, establishes the process, trains the staff, and then asks someone to communicate it. In healthcare, that can be a problem. If people do not understand what is available, why it matters, whether it applies to them, or what they need to do next, a strong program can still miss the people it was designed to serve.
I have the privilege of leading our marketing team, and that has given me an even greater appreciation for the role communication plays in whether a good idea actually reaches the people it was intended to help. Our MarCom team members, Jackie Sourek, Jonas Stoltz, and Roianne Johnson, are often part of the work much earlier than people may realize. One thing I’ve learned from leading this team is that they are often thinking about the audience before the rest of us have finished thinking about the program.
Who actually needs to hear this? What will matter to them? Where are they most likely to see it? What do we need them to do next?
I find that especially important in rural health, where reaching people can look very different from one community to the next. A polished campaign is not always the answer. Sometimes it is knowing the community, choosing the right messenger, using the right channel, and making the message easy to understand and act on.
We also have to pay attention to what happens after the message goes out.
Did people understand it? Did they respond? If not, what needs to change?
That feedback should shape both the communication and the program itself. The goal is not simply to put more information into the world. It is to make sure the people we are trying to reach understand it and know what to do with it. That is when marketing becomes a powerful part of the work.