Do we need a Chief Marketing Officer?

What level of marketing hire do we really need?

Many healthcare organizations know they need “marketing,” but they jump straight to the wrong role. They either over‑hire—bringing in a Chief Marketing Officer before they have the budget, infrastructure, or scale to support one—or under‑hire, expecting a junior coordinator or a physician liaison to function as a full marketing department. Both mistakes are expensive and slow growth.

Why most organizations do not need a CMO (yet)

A true Chief Marketing Officer is a strategist and executive leader, not a primary doer. CMOs are most valuable when an organization already has a budget, a team, and a need for enterprise‑level brand, portfolio, and growth strategy. In younger or mid‑sized organizations where the work is still heavily executional—building campaigns, managing vendors, fixing the website, getting basic analytics in order—a CMO can be the wrong first move.

If you hire too high, you often end up with someone who is overqualified for day‑to‑day tasks but cannot justify a full leadership remit because the basics are not yet in place. That can create frustration on both sides and does little to advance core marketing execution.

Why “no one” or an underpowered coordinator is just as risky

On the other end of the spectrum, many healthcare businesses operate with essentially no real marketing leader—only an overwhelmed coordinator or office manager who handles marketing “off the side of their desk.” That person may be smart and hardworking, but they usually lack the experience, authority, and time to build a real marketing engine.

The result is a patchwork of one‑off tactics: a campaign here, a postcard there, sporadic social posts, and an underused website. Without someone who can think a level up—prioritize service lines, manage vendors, and tie activity to outcomes—spend gets scattered and hard to defend.

The right middle: a strong manager or director plus the right partners

For many hospitals, health systems, and growth‑minded group practices, the right starting point is a director‑level marketing professional or an experienced manager, not a CMO or just a coordinator. A director sits in the sweet spot between strategy and execution: senior enough to command respect from clinicians and leadership, practical enough to roll up their sleeves and get things done.

This person can:

• Own the marketing plan and priorities.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders and external agencies.
• Manage budgets and basic analytics.
• Ensure execution actually happens and is measured.

Paired with a specialized healthcare marketing agency, this model gives you both leadership and bandwidth without the cost of a full C‑suite hire.

Why a physician liaison is not a marketing department

Physician liaisons are critical in many referral‑driven service lines—but they are sales and relationship professionals, not marketers. Their job is to build and maintain referral relationships with community providers, not to own digital strategy, branding, content, or media.

Similarly, a strong marketing leader is not the same as a field salesperson. When organizations collapse these roles—expecting a liaison to “do marketing” or a marketer to “do liaison work”—both functions suffer. You need the right role for the right job, even if you start with a small, focused team.

How to decide who to hire next

A practical way to decide:

• If you have no one owning marketing, start with a capable manager or director, not a CMO.
• If you already have a small, effective team and a meaningful budget, consider fractional or part‑time CMO‑level support before a full‑time CMO.
• If physician referrals are critical, invest in one or more true physician liaisons alongside—not instead of—your marketing leader.
• If you are unsure which role you need next, explore the resources on our site about physician liaison programs, director‑level marketing leadership, and when to use fractional CMO support. They walk through common scenarios and how to avoid mis‑hiring in each.