I had a really interesting conversation recently with a good friend of mine who happens to be the CIO of a mid-size company in the manufacturing sector. I asked him if there are ever any marketing approaches that resonate with him and cut through the avalanche of messages he gets daily.
His initial answer was illuminating if not unsurprising:
The quick answer is none; I pretty much ignore all of them – two reasons: firstly over 90% of them hit my inbox during working hours (that is the non-spam folder ones). That’s nonsensical as my working day is crammed full of – er – work, so if you want to get my eyes on something I’ll more likely see it early morning or potentially at the weekend. The second reason is simply that virtually all of them are identical in nature – and however clever the sender has been with the subject line (and I’ve seen them all), I can spot a marketing mail from a mile away, AI-generated or not.
This turned into a longer conversation…and the conclusion I reached was:
Reaching a C-level decision maker is challenging
- He rarely if ever directly engages with information sources he’s subscribed to; he occasionally downloads content if it happens to be pertinent to a current project
- His team are empowered to share project-relevant information with him, but he leaves them to keep abreast of any new solutions and bring them to him for discussion if it’s ‘something out of the ordinary’
- Due to being time poor, he is increasingly turning to video content for speed & convenience as well as LinkedIn for peer content. He will find time to consume written content but only if it’s project-specific
- His team – and other key members of the LOB departments – are increasingly using different sources for information gathering, and it’s become far easier to share info using collaboration tools such as Slack & WhatsApp
Now I appreciate this is only one person’s perspective and there will be many specific, unique elements to his views, but much of what he shared I’ve heard from many other decision makers in similar positions.
So what can marketers do about it?
- Take off the ‘I must reach the CXO’ t-shirt
- Much has been talked about the growing size of the buying group within mid / large organisations; never has the phrase ‘decision by committee’ been more apt. Be diligent in researching what job functions would be relevant to your solution and focus on those influencers.
- If your bonus absolutely rests on getting to the C Suite, think about more brand-led, short form video and influencer marketing – in other words, ‘Tell the CXO but Sell to the Buying group’
- Wondering why that demand gen campaign didn’t fund your retirement?
- As our CIO said, the level of marketing ‘noise’ is at an all-time high. So instead of playing the game like everyone else, think like an informer – ensure you are providing value in everything you create, with a ‘customer first, us second’ mantra at the heart of your approach.
- You don’t need to rip it up and start again – adapt, test, and leverage like hell
- Take those whitepapers and repurpose them – turn them into short, episodic videos; be brave and un-gate some of your assets, particularly those that have a focus on problem solving. Got a couple of great case studies. Get those clients to video them, or create short, sharp infographics that can be read within 2 mins.
Understanding what levers need to be pulled to engage the modern b2b buyer is an ever-shifting landscape but one that is easier to navigate with an agile approach.