Top 5 C-Suite Objections to Content Marketing

Handling objections is often the most difficult part of convincing executives to invest in new projects, and this is no different with content marketing.

In order to get budget allocated to content marketing, you’ll need to be able to tackle objections head on.

Here’s an overview of some of the most common issues that come up in discussions on content marketing, as well as some tips around them and additional resources.

Top 5 C-Suite Objections to Content Marketing

1. Traditional methods of marketing have worked in the past. Why change now?

Ask them to explain how they went about purchasing a “big ticket” item recently, such as a car or appliance. Chances are, they will describe how the purchasing process has changed. People are more apt to begin researching solutions online. The same goes for your product or service.

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2. They’ve had bad experiences with one-off tactics associated with content marketing (such as email marketing or SEO).

Standalone tactics have their merits, but they often seem like failures because they aren’t tied to a strategy aligned with specific business goals. Provide examples of how tactics can be linked together to produce campaigns backed by data.

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3. They believe content marketing is a fad, and will pass without long-term ROI.

Show your boss how investing in content marketing can lower the cost of customer acquisition over time because it continuously works behind the scenes.

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4. They don’t see a connection between content and lead generation.

Run them through an existing content marketing campaign. Show them the process of an organic search leading to a blog post; a blog post leading to a premium content offer, such as a white paper or an ebook; and ultimately, supplying your contact information to become a lead. Using a competitor in your industry as an example can be very persuasive.

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5. They feel content marketing won’t work for their industry. The “we’re too boring” defense.

Create a list of common questions your front line team answers for prospects and customers. Try to come up with at least 100. Now imagine if these questions were answered on your website, blog, and in premium content offers.

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Use this list of objections as a starting point to generate additional ideas based on conversations you’ve already had with your team.

Once you’ve identified specific concerns that may arise, prepare to diffuse them with thoughtful responses and supporting data. That way, you’ll be able to use their objections as opportunities to have a successful pitch.

And don't forget to discuss content marketing using terms executives enjoy -- anything to do with money. To hold their attention, focus on the bottom line.

Get more tips on diffusing common objections to content marketing in our free ebook, How to Pitch Content Marketing to Your Boss.