Presenting new marketing tactics for buy-in from executives can feel akin to navigating a land mine. Many marketers find it challenging to determine the best approach to getting their bosses to see the bigger picture – especially one that isn’t black and white and perched inside a retro, wooden box console. Newer marketing tactics, such as artificial intelligence (AI), influencer, and geofencing marketing, can perplex even the savviest executive if they are unclear of how it will impact their bottom line or improve productivity.
Good news, friends! You can avoid the typical, corporate roadblocks and receive executive buy-in. Here is a quick roadmap to obtaining executive buy-in for newer marketing tactics in five steps.
- Recruit the person(s) your boss trusts most first
Every company has at least one of these: someone who is a “boss whisperer.” This is the person who has the emperor’s ear, so to speak. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to sharpen your relationship-building skills and establish rapport with him/her. Share your ideas with them, ask for feedback, and lobby for their support to later leverage this connection when it becomes time to formally present to your boss.
- Get an understanding of your boss’ top priority/goals
Try to stay away from introducing new marketing tactics using dense, marketing jargon. Instead, gain a deep understanding of your boss’ perspective on key business concerns and/or personal business goals. Remember, you can always use your newly, or strengthened, relationship with the “boss whisperer” to gain insight into what your boss considers to be of the utmost importance.
- Don’t forget that buy-out is just as important as buy-in
Change in marketing tactics requires executive buy-out of existing strategies as much as buy-in on new marketing tactics – underscoring the equal level of difficulty to achieve both. As your company’s current standard operating procedures and processes age, it will become more complex to sever the dependency on it and move on to something different. In the beginning, you may have to find a way to integrate your new marketing tactic into current methods. Through time and comparative analysis, your company should become less reluctant to add a more contemporary approach to its strategy.
- Show examples of success with the new marketing tactic
Results speak louder than words. Bosses need to know how investing in influencer marketing, geofencing marketing or other new marketing tactics will impact the company’s success. You should be prepared to demonstrate the financial and efficient impact of your new marketing idea with data and statistics. These statistics (with supporting data) will give your presentation more credibility. Below are a few stats that will go a long way in making your idea sounder and more plausible:
Influencer Marketing Statistics
- 94 percent of marketers who use influencer marketing believe the tactic to be effective
- Influencer marketing delivers 11 times more ROI than traditional forms of digital marketing
Geofencing Marketing Statistics
- 77 percent of all Americans own a smartphone and 85 percent of college graduates use a smartphone
- 51 percent of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone
- Offer a test flight of the new marketing tactic
Find a way to test out small initiatives on your own, get some early results, and then prove you are ready to take the next step. By providing your boss with a preview of the potential of your plan, he/she may be more amenable to bigger testing of your strategy before making a full-scale marketing commitment.
Do you need help introducing newer marketing tactics to the decision-makers in your company? We’d be happy to pitch in. Visit us at Wild Coffee Marketing today.
