I’ve spent years helping technology companies get in front of senior decision-makers, and the mistake I see most often is a simple one: companies want results from the bottom of the sales funnel without doing any work at the top.
Everyone wants leads. Everyone wants a meeting with the CIO, CFO or CEO. So I ask clients a question: why would a senior executive give you two hours of their time if they know your name but have never heard you speak to their problems?
Plenty of companies are well known. Far fewer are known for something specific. A business can be familiar to every executive on its invitation list and still be invisible on the technology questions those executives are grappling with.
That’s why I believe brand awareness and credibility are the most undervalued spend in B2B marketing.
Recognition comes first
B2B buying rarely happens fast. Technology investments involve large budgets, several decision-makers and long contracts, and buyers want to feel confident before they pick up the phone.
Think about your own buying. Two businesses pitch you similar solutions. One has been publishing useful insights and sharp commentary on your industry for months. The other is a name you know but have never heard speak on your issues. Which one do you call back?
A household name that isn’t publishing its views on cloud, cybersecurity or AI gives a technology executive no reason to see it as a specialist. Familiarity gives a company the chance to earn trust, but it doesn’t create that trust on its own.
B2B buying rarely happens fast. Technology investments involve large budgets, several decision-makers and long contracts.
Michelle Losco
That is the job of top-of-funnel marketing: showing up consistently in the right places, with relevant messages, until decision-makers see you as an authority on the problems they face.
It also means being easy to find. When a CIO searches for answers on cloud risk or banking compliance and finds your commentary near the top of the results, you are already a familiar voice by the time your sales team calls.
The right audience beats the biggest audience
Reach isn’t what makes it useful to B2B marketers. The audience is. Our most recent readership survey found that 78% of respondents hold senior leadership or management roles, including 36% who are CEOs, MDs or business owners, 13% who are senior executives and 10% in other C-suite roles. Almost 89% have tertiary qualifications and 81% work for companies headquartered in South Africa.
They are business leaders in financial services, telecoms, retail and manufacturing – the people who shape business and technology decisions, not only IT managers.
Events work better when people know you
I’m a big believer in executive roundtables and business breakfasts. Sitting across from a potential customer and hearing their challenges first-hand is hard to beat.
But senior executives are selective. Their diaries are full and vendors approach them constantly. A good topic and a strong invitation help; recognising the company behind the event helps more. Top-of-funnel work doesn’t replace events, sales meetings, webinars or direct outreach. It makes them more effective.
Stop running campaigns in isolation
Most B2B marketing I see runs as a series of separate projects. A banner runs for a month, an article goes out, an event happens – and then everyone waits for each one to deliver leads. These activities should feed each other.
Take a cybersecurity company trying to reach CIOs and chief information security officers in South Africa. It could start with display advertising and newsletter placements on TechCentral, including in the Information Security section, then publish thought leadership showing it understands the pressures those executives face. Publishared can reinforce that exposure with LinkedIn campaigns aimed at decision-makers in specific, named organisations. Once the brand is recognised and credible, the company invites those executives to a private roundtable.
That sequence doesn’t guarantee attendance or a sale, but it gives the sales conversation a much better start. It is also why we brought TechCentral together with Publishared’s B2B marketing services: so clients can plan how each activity supports the next.
Advertising on TechCentral
How can I advertise on TechCentral?
TechCentral offers display and newsletter advertising, section sponsorships, sponsored content, executive profiling and sponsored podcast and video interviews. Through Publishared, we can pair these with targeted LinkedIn outreach, webinars, business breakfasts and executive roundtables.
How much does it cost?
Pricing depends on the formats, campaign length and your goals. We write a proposal for each client rather than pushing a standard package. E-mail [email protected] for options and a quote.
Start at the top
If you want 10 senior executives in one room, don’t make the event your whole strategy. First ask whether they know you specialise in the areas they’re dealing with, and whether they trust what you have to say. When they search for your area of expertise, do they find you?
If you’re planning a B2B campaign in South Africa – to build awareness, reach specific decision-makers or bring executives together – I’d like to hear what you’re working on. E-mail [email protected] or visit publishared.co.za.
- The author, Michelle Losco, is CEO of Publishared and TechCentral
- This is promoted content
