(Intermediate to Optimized) How to Gain Organizational Buy-In To Centralize Your Content
If you’ve come to this article, you’ve likely concluded that centralizing your content would benefit your organization, and perhaps other organizations within your company. (If you haven’t yet made this conclusion, here’s an article on why you should!)
Content marketing is no new buzzword, but rather, now a fundamental component of marketing strategies for B2B companies. Here at Uberflip, we’ve evolved from content marketing to focusing on the content experience, and with any change that has a trickle-down effect, it’s important to gain organizational alignment at the very beginning; we want to break silos, not create them!
However, getting buy-in on a new idea, especially one that involves introducing new technology, can be a large undertaking for an individual, or even a team. The cost of change can be perceived as more than the price tag of technology, especially when people and process are also involved.
So, what can you do to gain your organization’s buy-in to centralize content?
Start With Why
Here at Uberflip, we are big fans of Simon Sinek’s concept, “Start With Why.” Sinek simply states, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” This not only applies to how we market to our customers—it applies here too!
When beginning your discussions around centralizing content, think of how it would impact your conversation by understanding everybody’s why, including yours. Why is content important? Why would centralizing content benefit marketing? Why would it subsequently drive value for sales? IT?
Understanding the why aspect will help you frame a value-based conversation.
Educate Yourself
Coming to the table educated on any change you are looking to drive is multifaceted. Firstly, you must educate yourself on the business challenges your intended audience is facing. Whether or not centralizing content fixes any or all of their business challenges, it’s important to gain their trust by straight away showing you have considered their priorities and what keeps them up at night. Recite your understanding of their challenges and roadblocks, and get confirmation!
Further to this, you should come educated on how various organizations will be affected by centralizing content. Implementing this change will be harder on some organizations, and showing initiative in acknowledging these hardships will add to your credibility in leading this change.
Educate Your Audience
Content marketing and experience are the core of externalizing and showcasing your company’s values and identity, and are relevant at every stage of the buyer’s journey. Knowing that buyers are in control today, it’s important for everyone at the table to understand the significance of content’s role in nurturing your prospective customers across the buyer’s journey, and consistency is a significant component of this. It would be a longshot to think every person at the table has this understanding of content marketing, so the onus is on you to draw the lines between content marketing and their departments and/or initiatives.
Come With a High-Level Plan
While it should go without saying in selling any new idea that would affect more than one organization, it’s important to remember to bring forward some sort of plan on how you would go about implementing this change. Whether it’s technology solutions to consider, personnel to hire, or strategies to implement, have a dynamic high-level plan that will answer questions around how to begin this change.
Don’t Sell—Have a Conversation!
Part of having a value-based conversation is being open to hearing various perspectives, so it’s important to remember to solicit feedback throughout this process. You may anticipate your prospects’ objections and perspectives, but it’s essential to confirm by asking specific questions.
If there are grievances and apprehensions, it’s important to hear these out, and address how your plan —or how centralizing content itself—relieves them.
Have “Leave-Behinds” After Every Meeting!
Like high school, not everyone takes notes; it’s a good tactic to arm your audience with notes on what has been discussed, while also highlighting benefits and values to their respective organizations. Not only does this serve as a physical reminder of the value to them, but it also makes it easier to circulate among their teams to increase that level of buy-in. Having something tangible to share with organizations starts bringing your idea to life!