6 Ways to Navigate Healthcare Marketing In a Time of Constraints
Healthcare marketers are being asked to do the impossible: stretch shrinking budgets, navigate new regulations, and still deliver growth. The pressure is relentless, and the playbooks that worked even a few years ago no longer apply.
We recently hosted a webinar on Doing More with Less: Navigating Healthcare Marketing in a Time of Constraints. The conversation featured two seasoned leaders who’ve been through it all—Alan Shoebridge, AVP of Communications & National CCO at Providence, and Suzanne Hendery, Chief Marketing, Communication & Customer Experience Officer at Renown Health—moderated by Dave Twichell, Head of Marketing at Freshpaint.
They shared candid insights on leading teams through uncertainty, proving ROI in terms leadership understands, and finding new efficiencies without sacrificing impact.
If you’d like to watch the full conversation, the on-demand recording is embedded below. Or, if you’d prefer the quick version, scroll down for our TL;DW recap.
Pressed for time? We’ve distilled the hour-long webinar into the key themes and practical takeaways below.
Think of this section as your quick-start guide to navigating healthcare marketing in lean times—from budget strategy and leadership practices to cross-functional collaboration and smart use of AI.
1. Don’t Wait for Budget Cuts
Healthcare marketers today are navigating financial headwinds that look very different from the COVID-19 crisis. During the pandemic, the uncertainty was existential—hospitals questioning if they could even keep their doors open.
Now, the pressures are primarily economic: ongoing Medicaid and ACA shifts, lingering post-pandemic recovery, and budget cuts handed down to marketing teams that are still expected to deliver growth.
Alan Shoebridge, AVP of Communications at Providence, put it this way: “Nothing compares to the uncertainty of COVID, but what we’re seeing now is still high stakes. The difference is, we can see what’s on the horizon and prepare for it.” He emphasized that teams must plan ahead: “Every leader should know right now what projects they could cut with minimal impact. You don’t want to be caught unprepared when the ask comes.”
Suzanne Hendery, Chief Marketing Officer at Renown Health, added that the discipline forged during the pandemic has left teams stronger: “We learned how to do important things on a shoestring. That creativity and resilience are skills we’ll keep leaning on.”
TL;DW takeaway: This isn’t a moment for panic, it’s a moment for preparation. Anticipate the cuts before they come, build a clear-eyed “cut list,” and be ready to defend your team’s most impactful work.
2. Turn Scarcity Into Creativity
One of the clearest lessons from the webinar was that constraints can spark creativity. Both leaders highlighted ways their teams found new value by stretching resources and rethinking how marketing skills could be applied.
Suzanne Hendery shared how her team pivoted during COVID and beyond: “We repurposed our marketers to help with employee and physician recruitment. Instead of relying on outside consultants, we used our own people’s skills—geo-targeting talent in other markets, crafting campaigns in-house, and proving our value in new ways.” That shift stuck, and her team now works hand-in-hand with HR on recruitment as an ongoing function.
Alan Shoebridge stressed the importance of trimming the “nice-to-haves” first: “A good marketer always has some experiments or nice-to-haves in the mix. In tough times, those are the first to go. Protect your core work—the things you know drive business outcomes and reputation.”
Both agreed that in-house capabilities can be a major cost-saver. Suzanne put it plainly: “We saved 25% on media buying by doing it ourselves at the nonprofit rate—and we put those dollars right back into advertising.”
TL;DW takeaway: Repurpose your team’s skills, bring creative work in-house, and be ruthless about cutting nice-to-haves before cutting people. Constraints can be the spark for smarter, leaner marketing.
3. Lead Transparently In Tough Times
Budget cuts and resource constraints don’t just affect projects—they affect people. Both panelists emphasized that how leaders communicate in these moments matters just as much as what they decide to cut.
Suzanne Hendery argued against secrecy and last-minute surprises: “No one likes a surprise, and this is the worst surprise of all. Authentic leadership means having hard conversations early and letting your team be part of the solution.”
She described times when she asked her staff directly if anyone wanted reduced hours, was planning retirement, or exploring other options. “Those conversations were tough but honest—and they brought us closer as a team.”
Alan Shoebridge shared his own guiding principle: “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, and the realist adjusts the sails. As leaders, we have to be realists — adjust to the situation and empower our people to do the same.” He encourages his team to identify work they could stop doing, or vendors that aren’t delivering, and then actually follow through.
TL;DW takeaway: Transparency builds trust. Don’t blindside your team with sudden cuts — engage them early in problem-solving, adjust together, and celebrate the resilience that comes from facing challenges head-on.
4. Speak ROI, the Executive Love Language
When resources get tight, proving value becomes non-negotiable. Both speakers emphasized the importance of tying marketing outcomes directly to the metrics that matter most to senior leadership and the board.
For Suzanne Hendery, that means zeroing in on the organization’s strategic plan: “We measure against the same goals our board looks at—unique new patients by medical record number, filled appointment slots, surgical volume. When we show how marketing helps drive those numbers, leadership sees the value instantly.”
Alan Shoebridge highlighted the need to move beyond vanity metrics: “Impressions don’t mean much if the story is negative. We’ve shifted to measuring power of voice—not just how often we’re mentioned, but whether the coverage is positive and supports our reputation.”
He also stressed the importance of being proactive: “You never want to hear someone say, ‘What does your team even do?’ It’s our job to make sure they already know.”
TL;DW takeaway: Speak the language of leadership. Prove ROI in terms of strategic goals, measure quality not just quantity, and proactively communicate your team’s impact before anyone questions it.
5. Bust Silos to Operate More Efficiently
In lean times, silos become even more costly. Both speakers pointed to cross-functional collaboration as a critical way to reduce friction, solve problems creatively, and make limited resources go further.
Alan Shoebridge acknowledged the natural tension between marketing and PR: “It’s like police officers and firefighters—we need each other, but we can be suspicious of each other’s work. The key is trust. Marketing should know when communications is dealing with a thorny issue, and comms should know when a big campaign is about to hit the market. We’re stronger when we coordinate.”
Suzanne Hendery stressed the importance of gatekeeping and prioritization: “When resources are tight, everyone in the organization wants something from marketing. We found it essential that only VPs and above could request our support—it kept our team focused on the true priorities.”
She also encouraged leaders to let other departments advocate for marketing: “Sometimes IT or the medical group can make the case for new tools or budget better than we can. Let them fight that fight on your behalf.”
TL;DW takeaway: Collaboration reduces waste and amplifies impact. Break down silos, align priorities at the leadership level, and let allies in other departments help carry marketing’s banner.
6. Let AI Be Your Intern, Not Replacement
No conversation about efficiency in 2025 is complete without AI. Both leaders agreed the technology can be a powerful accelerator—as long as it’s applied thoughtfully and with human oversight.
Alan Shoebridge described how his team uses it: “We think of AI as a thought partner. It’s great for editing long copy into key messages, generating social posts, or even brainstorming questions a reporter might ask. But I wouldn’t trust it to draft final copy—accuracy and tone still require human judgment.”
Suzanne Hendery echoed that sentiment: “AI is like an intern—creative and enthusiastic, but not ready to be left on its own. Everything that leaves our department has to feel authentic, inclusive, and on-brand. That’s our responsibility as communicators.”
She also noted her team is working with data and IT leaders to establish governance: “It’s not just about using AI, it’s about ensuring we have the right data sources, oversight, and brand tone across the organization.”
TL;DW takeaway: Treat AI as an intern, not a replacement. Use it to save time on drafting, editing, and ideation, but apply strong human oversight to ensure accuracy, inclusivity, and brand alignment.
The Bottom Line
Resource constraints are nothing new in healthcare marketing, but as this conversation showed, they don’t have to limit your impact. With the right mix of creativity, transparency, and focus, marketers can stretch budgets further while continuing to drive measurable results for their organizations.
The panelists’ advice was clear: anticipate cuts before they come, repurpose your team’s skills in new ways, measure what matters to leadership, and lean into collaboration and technology to stay ahead. Constraints, after all, can be a catalyst for smarter, leaner, and more effective marketing.
Want more conversations like this one? Register for one of many upcoming events that bring together top healthcare marketing leaders to share real-world strategies, lessons, and inspiration.
