B2B Marketing and Overcoming C-Suite Concerns

In a recent report by Sticky Content, it was found that a third of all respondents said senior management had the most negative impact on quality of content. The C-Suite were followed closely by technical/product managers and then legal/compliance teams. In the case of legal and product managers, their input is vitally important to ensure any content is not misleading and does not risk legal ramifications.

However, it’s surprising to see that the biggest hurdle to creating good content is the senior managers in the C-Suite. Is it because they are not on the ground to see the direct benefits? Are they concerned that the content will not represent their business in line with company guidelines? Whatever the reasons, this is an issue which must be overcome, not only to ensure the best content is produced, but to ensure the best results are generated.

Prior planning and preparation

One way to ensure everyone’s buy-in and avoid problems further down the line is by creating a comprehensive content strategy before writers even put pen to paper. By researching and establishing pain points, content formats, suggested subject matter, and calls to action, it’s possible to ensure all internal decision-makers (including the C-Suite) are happy with the content before any time and resources are spent on it. In some instances, if management are still unsure of the content and how it will represent their organisation, consider writing brief synopses of the larger pieces of content (such as ebooks) so that they can review things like tone of voice and subheading etc.

Prove content’s worth

The C-Suite are tasked with driving an organisation forward and focusing on revenue, profit and business growth. So, the best way to gain their trust in content is to prove its impact on these areas. If you’re just starting out on a content strategy, then carry out intensive research on other company’s content (ideally within your industry) and look for numbers which prove its ability to generate revenue. Alternatively, if you have existing content, use every metric you have to measure results such as downloads, engagement, and ultimately ROI. When you start showing the C-Suite how content can actually generate leads, sales and revenue, they’ll be quick to get on board.

 

To find out more about measuring the ROI of your marketing activity and proving your worth to the board…