One of the most challenging aspects of marketing is securing buy-in from the C-suite. Time with this audience is highly sought after and their schedules are highly protected. In order to understand more about what the C-suite audience really thinks about B2B technology vendor content, we commissioned an independent piece of research: The Wise & Zeal C-suite Content Credibility Report. The findings reveal how this leadership group responds to, and engages with, B2B technology vendor content and looks at how – when delivered successfully – it can influence decision making processes and purchasing behaviour.
Our independent study collected responses from 454 C-suite executives across the UK, wider Europe, Australia, and the USA. All respondents worked for organisations with at least 1,000 employees. 66% represented businesses with an annual turnover of at least $400m.
Summary of findings
1. Trust drives C-suite action
Marketers may well assume that their biggest challenge is reaching the C-suite in the first instance, but this does not always appear to be the case: in fact, 90% of all respondents said they ‘always’, or ‘almost always’, read technology vendor content sent directly to their inbox. Our findings reveal that it is engaging with the C-suite to prompt positive action that is where the real challenge lies.
When it comes to taking next steps, trust is the differentiator: Only 17% of respondents said they were likely to take action if the content was sent from a general technology vendor, compared to 42% when the vendor is trusted by the recipient.
Respondents described the content that brings them closer to solving a problem as:
- Inspiring new ideas: 178 respondents
- Helping address board issues: 159 respondents
- Sharing lessons learnt by peers: 145 respondents
- Actionable: 133 respondents
WZ Insight: Content created for the C-suite needs to reflect the vendor’s credibility and authority, and answer in advance the critical questions that the C-suite and the board are asking.
2. Solution-driven content supports decision making
For vendors, content becomes a critical tool for establishing trust if a business relationship is not yet in place. Content that supports the self-education phase of research, prior to engagement, also has the potential to shorten the information gathering stage of the buying-cycle. Respondents told us what content needs to achieve if it is to reduce the time they take researching potential new technology suppliers:
- 53% of respondents want content to talk about solving the overall business problem, not just describe how the product works. 63% of CTOs, 51% of CFOs, 50% of CEOs, and 42% of CIOs want this from content.
96% of these respondents, and 98% of these CEOs, said they would be likely to opt in to receive more of this content.
- 46% of respondents are looking for content that looks at the solution from the customer’s point of view, and is written using their language. 54% of CFOs want this, as do 50% of CTOs and 40% of CIOs.
91% of these respondents would be likely to opt in to this content, including 89% of these CTOs and 88% of these CFOs.
- 40% of respondents seek content that gives them credibility in front of the board. Interestingly, this is most important to CSO respondents (63%) and CTOs (42%).
91% of these respondents would be likely to opt in to receive content that achieves this.
WZ Insight: To unlock access to high-value decision makers, tech vendor content needs to relate back to the overall business impact. This leadership audience wants insights into how they can navigate organisational challenges, such as risk or compliance, and to understand how solutions will drive positive change in their business. Additionally, content must be written with more than one audience in mind. Personalisation is vital to ensure the content resonates with all the critical stakeholders in the research and decision making process.
3. Peer-to-Peer content increases credibility
The C-suite is increasingly trusting content that shares the perspectives and experiences of their peers. In fact, 67% of respondents said they now place more emphasis on peer recommendations than they did three years ago when researching new technology vendors.
This is echoed by 145 respondents who said that content sharing peer experiences brings them closer to solving a problem. 99 respondents also said that they would be likely to opt in to receive more content if what they read was written by peers, not the vendor.
WZ Insight: The C-suite is increasingly relying on peer insights when seeking new ideas to solve key business challenges. Content written from the perspective of a peer builds trust and adds value and authenticity to the buyer’s journey.
Content considerations
The next instalment of the Wise & Zeal C-suite Content Credibility Report explores content considerations, specifically the common content frustrations experienced by the C-suite.
You can register to receive The Wise & Zeal C-suite Content Credibility Report Executive Summary here.