Whether or not you’re crafting a brand new content material marketing campaign, launching a YouTube sequence, or revamping your social technique, management will inevitably ask: “How will this influence our firm’s backside line?”
Answering this query isn’t all the time easy. That’s why I all the time make certain to establish my key efficiency indicators (KPIs) earlier than looking for govt buy-in. KPIs not solely assist me measure success but in addition present the concrete proof wanted to achieve management’s assist and switch concepts into actuality.
And also you seemingly understand how shortly the advertising and marketing panorama is altering — 56% of marketing leaders agree it has modified extra up to now three years than up to now fifty. So, it’s clear to me that the bar for securing buy-in has risen.
Management needs concrete proof of influence, typically backed by AI-powered insights, buyer understanding, and confirmed ROI.
To get a clearer image, I spoke with advertising and marketing leaders to collect their prime suggestions for receiving buy-in and to uncover which KPIs matter most to them in 2025.
Desk of Contents
What’s govt buy-in?
Govt buy-in is extra than simply getting a nod of approval from management — it’s about incomes their energetic assist to your concept or marketing campaign. When leaders purchase into your plan, they grow to be champions for it, assist safe mandatory sources, and take away organizational obstacles that may impede success.
As Kyle Denhoff, senior director of media at HubSpot, explains, “Securing management buy-in goes past presenting sturdy concepts; it’s about aligning these concepts with the broader objectives of the enterprise. At HubSpot Media, we middle our investments round two core enterprise goals: construct model consciousness and drive demand.”
Denhoff emphasizes the significance of effectivity and alignment right here: “When presenting to executives, the hot button is to tie your initiatives to metrics they care about whereas being environment friendly (lean crew, low prices).”
By immediately connecting your initiatives to the KPIs that matter most to management, you make a compelling case that resonates with their priorities.
The best way to Get Purchase-In From Prime Advertising Leaders
In case you’re aiming to safe significant govt buy-in, listed below are some key steps I recommend you observe.
1. Lead with enterprise influence.
Don’t begin with techniques — begin with outcomes. Body your initiative when it comes to enterprise goals and the KPIs that matter most to executives, equivalent to Return on Advertising Funding (ROMI) or Buyer Lifetime Worth (CLV).
“It’s simple to get misplaced in self-importance metrics like visitors or web page views, however executives care most about return-on-investment,” says Dhanvin Sriram, head of content material advertising and marketing at Neptune.AI, including that exhibiting tangible outcomes is vital to getting executives on board.
“As an illustration, we use content material engagement metrics equivalent to time spent on web page, click-through charges, and bounce charges to evaluate the effectiveness of our content material.
If engagement is excessive, it’s typically an indication of sturdy content material that resonates with our audience. As soon as we demonstrated that elevated engagement was resulting in the next conversion fee, executives understood the connection and have been extra supportive of our content material initiatives.”
Think about how your proposal will contribute to the corporate’s backside line. For instance, when you’re suggesting a brand new social media marketing campaign, clarify the way it will generate certified leads that may convert into gross sales, thereby rising income.
Our information backs this up, too. Based on the Marketing Leader’s Field Guide, 20% of leaders prioritize rising income and gross sales, so tying your marketing campaign to monetary outcomes is vital.
2. Again it up with information.
Numbers construct belief. I like to incorporate trade benchmarks, competitor insights, and inner information to create a data-driven case for my initiative. I’ve realized that is a lot extra highly effective than coming to management with a moonshot concept you need to strive — you want to have the numbers to again it up.
For example, let’s say you’re proposing a marketing campaign focusing on dormant e-mail subscribers. You should use historic conversion information to estimate the incremental income this viewers may generate. As a bonus, I like together with visuals like charts or case research to make the case simpler to digest.
Luca O’Neil, head of progress advertising and marketing at Entry Partnership, shares a novel technique: exhibiting the information from a pilot take a look at. For instance, he piloted a LinkedIn advert marketing campaign focusing on a distinct segment B2B section.
“With a 35% improve in certified leads and a lower-than-average CPL, the success supplied the arrogance wanted to scale the initiative globally,” he stated.
“Creating executive-friendly dashboards with related metrics helps maintain buy-in. I take advantage of platforms like HubSpot to supply concise overviews of pipeline influence, CLV, and engagement traits, guaranteeing executives have on the spot entry to information that helps decision-making,” he added.
And, in fact, you’ll be able to’t overlook tying the information again to a bigger story. “Storytelling is simply as highly effective as information. I’ve shared buyer testimonials and case research throughout board conferences for instance how our advertising and marketing initiatives influence actual individuals,” he stated. “This method makes advertising and marketing really feel extra tangible and aligned with the corporate’s mission.”
3. Current clear milestones.
Break your initiative into manageable phases with particular, measurable objectives for every stage. Outline what success seems to be like and set up common check-in factors.
I like to indicate how small, preliminary investments can result in fast wins and description how these successes might be scaled. This helps construct confidence within the bigger technique and helps construct a path to scaling additional.
Going again to the marketing campaign for dormant e-mail subscribers, this might appear like:
Section |
Motion |
Objective |
Fast Win |
Section 1 |
Ship re-engagement emails |
Obtain a 20% open fee |
Reactivate 200 subscribers |
Section 2 |
Supply unique incentive |
Convert 10% into leads or gross sales |
Generate quick income |
Section 3 |
Nurture with focused content material |
Improve engagement by 15% |
Safe conferences with certified leads |
Section 4 |
Analyze outcomes and scale |
Exhibit clear ROI |
Current outcomes to executives |
By aligning your milestones with KPIs that executives care about, you present a roadmap that illustrates how your initiative will contribute to the corporate’s goals.
What Targets Matter Most to Advertising Leaders in 2025 [+ KPIs to Track]
What do leaders need? That’s the query it’s best to ask your self when you’re trying to get govt buy-in. Based on HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing Trends Report and our Marketing Leader’s Field Guide, advertising and marketing leaders are primarily centered on three objectives:
- Rising income and gross sales (20%).
- Getting a greater understanding of your prospects and their wants (16%).
- Rising model consciousness and reaching new audiences (15%).
For every of those objectives, let’s discover why they matter, the important thing KPIs to trace, and tricks to safe govt buy-in.
1. Improve income and gross sales.
In 2025, advertising and marketing leaders face mounting strain to show their division’s direct influence on the corporate’s backside line. Advertising is now not seen as a price middle — it’s anticipated to be a income driver.
In case you work backward out of your firm’s major objective of accelerating income, it is smart that reaching new audiences and changing them into certified leads could be prime priorities.
As Jordan DiPietro, former HubSpot vice chairman of selling, says, “As a advertising and marketing chief, it’s vital to decide on a KPI that’s most aligned along with your firm’s overarching enterprise goals — it may very well be a income metric, it may very well be a attain metric, or within the case of HubSpot Media, it may very well be each!
The vital factor is that your KPIs and the motion plans related to these KPIs are ones that may be immediately linked to the KPIs of the enterprise.”
DiPietro’s crew focuses on two essential KPIs: total attain (visits, opens, listeners, and views) and leads (web new contacts pushed by media content material).
He elaborates, “Our attain KPI is indicative of the truth that HubSpot needs to develop top-of-the-funnel consciousness for the enterprise. Our media crew does this by rising the attain of our weblog content material, newsletters, podcast community, and YouTube community.
“Our income KPI is indicative of the truth that HubSpot is a SaaS enterprise — so we need to generate leads that may be shared with the gross sales crew as a way to flip these leads into certified leads after which into glad prospects,” he provides.
What KPIs matter most?
- Return on Advertising Funding (ROMI). This metric quantifies how a lot income is generated for each greenback spent on advertising and marketing. It’s a favourite amongst CMOs who need to communicate the CFO’s language.
- Income Progress Charge. Observe total progress and segment-specific progress (e.g., new prospects vs. current prospects).
- Buyer Acquisition Value (CAC). This metric has grow to be more and more essential as digital promoting prices rise. Good groups monitor CAC traits throughout channels, segments, and campaigns, utilizing this information to repeatedly refine their acquisition technique.
- Pipeline Velocity. This composite metric exhibits how shortly your advertising and marketing efforts convert to income.
Securing Govt Purchase-In
To safe buy-in for a marketing campaign tied to this objective, it is advisable to body it when it comes to monetary influence. Executives reply nicely to ROI-focused proposals.
- Converse their language. As a substitute of explaining advert spend when it comes to clicks, current it as a $1,000 funding that might generate $10,000 in income.
- Leverage predictive analytics. For instance, present how a brand new marketing campaign focusing on dormant e-mail subscribers may generate $500K in incremental income primarily based on historic conversion charges.
By immediately connecting your KPIs to income outcomes, you make it simpler for executives to see the worth of your proposal.
2. Get a greater understanding of your prospects and their wants.
With AI and superior analytics on the forefront, understanding buyer wants is each simpler and extra very important than ever. Clients count on personalised, seamless experiences. With out deep insights, manufacturers danger falling behind.
Carey Thiels is a requirement technology strategist and advertising and marketing advisor. She helps tech startups plan and execute a advertising and marketing technique that may get them to exponential progress.
“Product adoption will inform you how nicely your prospects are utilizing your product. And, in fact, renewal and/or churn fee will inform you if prospects need to keep or transfer on to a different various,” she says.
All of those components are key to understanding your prospects and their wants higher.
What KPIs matter most?
- Buyer Lifetime Worth (CLV). Understanding CLV by section helps advertising and marketing leaders make smarter acquisition and retention investments
- Web Promoter Rating (NPS). A simple metric for gauging buyer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Buyer Satisfaction Rating (CSAT). Measures how glad prospects are along with your services or products.
- Buyer Retention Charge. Increased retention alerts your efforts to know and meet buyer wants are working.
Securing Govt Purchase-In
Executives care deeply about buyer satisfaction, however they’re extra more likely to be persuaded by numbers and tangible outcomes.
- Current buyer tales. Use survey information, testimonials, or case research to show how assembly buyer wants has led to measurable success.
- Hyperlink to market share. Spotlight how higher buyer insights can result in a aggressive benefit, whether or not it’s profitable new audiences or lowering churn.
Jason Marshall, CMO at Huntress, additionally emphasizes this method: “Monitoring KPIs might help advertising and marketing leaders construct a compelling case to get the assist they want. By projecting the income a buyer generates over their lifetime with the enterprise, advertising and marketing leaders can discover methods to enhance buyer retention whereas avoiding attrition.”
3. Improve model consciousness and attain new audiences.
In 2025, standing out isn’t any small feat. The digital panorama is extra crowded than ever, with manufacturers competing fiercely for a similar consideration.
Whereas income stays the highest precedence, there’s a robust give attention to deepening buyer understanding and increasing attain. This means a balanced method between short-term gross sales objectives and long-term model constructing.
Model consciousness is the inspiration for future progress. It ensures your organization stays related within the eyes of your viewers and top-of-mind after they’re able to make a buying choice. Reaching new audiences is especially essential as market dynamics shift and current buyer bases evolve.
Denhoff shared with me how he thinks about this objective at HubSpot. “The HubSpot Weblog receives over 10M visits monthly, every an impression for our model. HubSpot Media is goaled on Leads first, Attain second. We’re centered on filling the lead pipeline for the gross sales crew.”
He highlights how model consciousness efforts align immediately with income technology, a vital connection for incomes govt buy-in. By rising HubSpot’s viewers by owned media like blogs, podcasts, newsletters, and YouTube channels, HubSpot Media reviews on complete viewers attain month-to-month, offering a tangible sign of elevated model visibility amongst key viewers segments.
For instance, Denhoff explains how a video on rising your LinkedIn firm web page would possibly embrace a call-to-action to obtain a premium information. By changing viewers into leads through gated content material, HubSpot Media not solely boosts attain but in addition drives significant pipeline progress — finally supporting the corporate’s broader income objectives.
What KPIs matter most?
- Share of Voice (SOV). This metric helps advertising and marketing leaders perceive their model’s presence relative to opponents.
- Engagement-to-Attain Ratio. Relatively than simply monitoring followers or attain, sensible entrepreneurs measure significant engagement.
Securing Govt Purchase-In
Model-building initiatives typically face skepticism from leaders centered on short-term outcomes. The secret’s connecting model metrics to income outcomes.
- Use sturdy examples. Exhibit how a 20% improve in model consciousness on LinkedIn led to a ten% enhance in gross sales inside a key market section.
- Leverage benchmarks. Use trade information to indicate how opponents are investing in brand-building and the dangers of falling behind.
Huang Xiong’s expertise backs this up.
“As for 2025 KPIs, the sport’s evolving. Certain, we’re nonetheless monitoring CAC, LTV, and ROAS — these are the spine — however now we’re trying deeper into engagement and neighborhood,” says Xiong, an e-mail information advertising and marketing advisor.
“Two KPIs I’m loving proper now are buyer engagement rating (how typically individuals work together with our content material) and neighborhood progress fee (progress of our social presence and user-generated content material). These aren’t simply numbers; they present if we’re constructing actual connections with our viewers.
“Advertising is much less about one-off gross sales and extra about creating loyal prospects who really care about your model. Backside line: Concentrate on the numbers that inform the total story, not simply the sale.”
Use KPIs to contribute to your organization’s success.
I’m all for revolutionary concepts and moonshot plans, and I believe it’s an vital high quality of a fantastic marketer. Nonetheless, I’ve realized that as a way to flip these concepts into actuality, you want vital elements like KPIs to measure success and significant govt buy-in.
In case you can’t see a robust connection between your KPIs and the enterprise’s KPIs, it is perhaps time to reassess your focus. Shifting your technique to higher influence the underside line won’t solely improve your contributions but in addition assist obtain buy-in from management.
By beginning with enterprise influence, backing up your proposals with information, and presenting clear milestones aligned with the KPIs that matter most to executives, you’ll improve your possibilities of securing the chief buy-in it is advisable to succeed.
Editor’s word: This submit was initially revealed in October 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.