Achieving More by Doing Less: Loma Linda University Health’s Strategic Approach to Advertising

Nearly every health system has a mission statement, and most are a version of “meeting the health needs of the community.” But bringing a mission to life — truly operationalizing it — is a different matter.

Heather Valentine, assistant vice president of Marketing and Communications, Loma Linda University Health

Health care marketing budgets have declined significantly in the past year, and marketing leaders feel increased pressure to quantify their return on ad spending. So how do marketing professionals — especially those working for nonprofit and faith-based hospitals and health systems — continue to support their organizational missions with shrinking dollars? The answer is sound strategic thinking, tough love, and focused efforts.

We’re all familiar with the saying “No margin, no mission.” The marketing team at Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) takes that philosophy to heart when it comes to both strategy and execution of the health system’s advertising.

“While our primary purpose is not to generate a profit, we are compelled to be fiscally responsible and good stewards of the organization’s resources,” says Heather Valentine, assistant vice president of Marketing and Communications for LLUH. “Being in business is how we fulfill our mission. And that means using our advertising dollars strategically.”

“We can’t do it all,” she says. “It’s a matter of focusing our advertising dollars on brand awareness and a select array of services. Then we apply other marketing tactics to meet the needs of other entities in our health system.”

Read the full article to learn how you can concentrate your advertising efforts to produce the greatest result from both a business and mission perspective: Aligning Advertising and Organizational Purpose Through One Mission

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