How to Build a Strategic Marketing Team

Health Marketing Collective

Welcome to the Health Marketing Collective, where strong leadership meets marketing excellence. Today's episode is part two of our series on building a strategic marketing organization from the ground up. In part one, we discussed how to recognize if your team is operating reactively rather than strategically. Today, we're taking it a step further, moving into actionable steps to build a scalable and measurable marketing team that can truly drive growth. Joining us again is Yvonne Leonard, an expert at building and leading strategic marketing organizations With a track record of driving digital transformation, leading product launches, and building thought leadership programs, she's known for creating high performing teams that balance continuous improvement with collaboration and fun. We start by uncovering why Yvonne advises organizations to avoid internal creative departments unless they are exceptionally well-structured. Focusing on the benefits of outsourcing, she explains how it can enhance discipline and efficiency, especially in the face of multiple internal opinions and approval processes. Moving forward, Sara and Yvonne explore leadership dynamics and managing change, highlighting Yvonne’s personal strategies for maintaining motivation and momentum, illustrating the importance of transparency, core values, and team camaraderie. The conversation also navigates through actionable techniques to improve user engagement on websites, the need for continuous testing and improvements, and the crucial relationship between marketing and finance to secure and justify marketing budgets. Towards the end of the episode, Yvonne touches on the importance of having measurable objectives and the decision-making process of outsourcing versus keeping tasks in-house. Thank you for being part of the Health Marketing Collective, where strong leadership meets marketing excellence. The future of healthcare depends on it. Key Takeaways:

1. Outsourcing for Efficiency and Discipline: Yvonne Leonard emphasizes that unless an organization is very well-structured, it is more beneficial to avoid internal creative departments. Outsourcing can introduce a disciplined approach and enhance efficiency by minimizing the complexities that arise from multiple internal opinions and the often cumbersome approval processes.
2. Leadership and Motivation Dynamics: On managing change and motivating oneself, Yvonne shares her strategy of setting tasks as competitions and identifying the "first domino" to create project momentum. She believes in the power of transparency, working closely with her team, and consistently tying efforts back to the company’s core values to maintain direction and enthusiasm.
3. Enhancing User Engagement on Websites: To keep users engaging longer with more content, Yvonne suggests evaluating web design and layout for better navigation. She highlights the importance of understanding cause and effect in web interactions and conducting A/B tests to fine-tune aspects such as calls to action and color schemes, thereby improving the overall user experience.
4. The Critical Link Between Marketing and Finance: Yvonne underscores the necessity of developing robust, transparent relationships with the finance department. By demonstrating measurable outcomes and the effectiveness of marketing strategies, marketers can justify budget needs and gain financial support for their efforts. Sara Payne reinforces that showcasing results is vital to securing increased marketing budgets.
5. Defining and Measuring Marketing Success: The episode discusses the significance of operating with a clear purpose and ensuring stakeholder alignment on marketing objectives. By asking critical questions to clarify project goals, examining the alignment of tactics with intended outcomes, and maintaining flexibility in strategy evaluation, organizations can develop a measurable framework to drive growth and improvement.

Join us next time on the Health Marketing Collective for more insights into strategic marketing and leadership excellence. [embed]https://youtu.be/EB5rHIYPIxM[/embed] About Yvonne Leonard Yvonne Leonard is an expert in building and leading strategic marketing organizations. With a track record of driving digital transformation, leading product launches, and building thought leadership, she’s known for creating high-performing teams that balance continuous improvement, collaboration, and fun.