Whether or not you’re crafting a brand new content material marketing campaign, launching a YouTube collection, or revamping your social technique, management will inevitably ask: “How will this affect our firm’s backside line?”
Answering this query isn’t at all times simple. That’s why I at all times be sure to determine my key efficiency indicators (KPIs) earlier than in search of government buy-in. KPIs not solely assist me measure success but in addition present the concrete proof wanted to realize management’s help and switch concepts into actuality.
And also you probably understand how shortly the advertising and marketing panorama is altering — 56% of promoting leaders agree it has modified extra prior to now three years than prior to now fifty. So, it’s clear to me that the bar for securing buy-in has risen.
Management needs concrete proof of affect, usually backed by AI-powered insights, buyer understanding, and confirmed ROI.
To get a clearer image, I spoke with advertising and marketing leaders to assemble their high ideas for receiving buy-in and to uncover which KPIs matter most to them in 2025.
Desk of Contents
What’s government buy-in?
Government buy-in is extra than simply getting a nod of approval from management — it’s about incomes their lively help on your concept or marketing campaign. When leaders purchase into your plan, they turn into champions for it, assist safe vital sources, and take away organizational obstacles which may impede success.
As Kyle Denhoff, senior director of media at HubSpot, explains, “Securing management buy-in goes past presenting robust concepts; it’s about aligning these concepts with the broader objectives of the enterprise. At HubSpot Media, we heart 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 staff, 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.
Find out how to Get Purchase-In From Prime Advertising and marketing Leaders
When you’re aiming to safe significant government buy-in, listed below are some key steps I recommend you observe.
1. Lead with enterprise affect.
Don’t begin with techniques — begin with outcomes. Body your initiative by way of enterprise goals and the KPIs that matter most to executives, equivalent to Return on Advertising and marketing Funding (ROMI) or Buyer Lifetime Worth (CLV).
“It’s simple to get misplaced in vainness metrics like site 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 essential to getting executives on board.
“As an example, 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 usually an indication of robust content material that resonates with our audience. As soon as we demonstrated that elevated engagement was resulting in the next conversion price, executives understood the connection and have been extra supportive of our content material initiatives.”
Take into account 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 Advertising and marketing Chief’s Area Information, 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 inside information to create a data-driven case for my initiative. I’ve discovered 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 instance, let’s say you’re proposing a marketing campaign focusing on dormant electronic mail subscribers. You need to use historic conversion information to estimate the incremental income this viewers might 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 development advertising and marketing at Entry Partnership, shares a singular technique: exhibiting the info from a pilot check. For instance, he piloted a LinkedIn advert marketing campaign focusing on a distinct segment B2B phase.
“With a 35% improve in certified leads and a lower-than-average CPL, the success supplied the boldness wanted to scale the initiative globally,” he mentioned.
“Creating executive-friendly dashboards with related metrics helps maintain buy-in. I exploit platforms like HubSpot to supply concise overviews of pipeline affect, CLV, and engagement tendencies, guaranteeing executives have immediate entry to information that helps decision-making,” he added.
And, in fact, you may’t neglect tying the info 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 affect actual individuals,” he mentioned. “This strategy 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 appears to be like 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 may 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 electronic mail subscribers, this might seem like:
Part |
Motion |
Aim |
Fast Win |
Part 1 |
Ship re-engagement emails |
Obtain a 20% open price |
Reactivate 200 subscribers |
Part 2 |
Supply unique incentive |
Convert 10% into leads or gross sales |
Generate rapid income |
Part 3 |
Nurture with focused content material |
Improve engagement by 15% |
Safe conferences with certified leads |
Part 4 |
Analyze outcomes and scale |
Display 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 Objectives Matter Most to Advertising and marketing Leaders in 2025 [+ KPIs to Track]
What do leaders need? That’s the query it’s best to ask your self when you’re seeking to get government buy-in. Based on HubSpot’s 2025 State of Advertising and marketing Developments Report and our Advertising and marketing Chief’s Area Information, advertising and marketing leaders are primarily centered on three objectives:
- Rising income and gross sales (20%).
- Getting a greater understanding of your clients 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 government buy-in.
1. Improve income and gross sales.
In 2025, advertising and marketing leaders face mounting stress to show their division’s direct affect on the corporate’s backside line. Advertising and marketing is now not considered as a price heart — it’s anticipated to be a income driver.
When you work backward out of your firm’s major objective of accelerating income, it is sensible that reaching new audiences and changing them into certified leads could be high priorities.
As Jordan DiPietro, former HubSpot vp of promoting, says, “As a advertising and marketing chief, it’s vital to decide on a KPI that’s most aligned together 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 staff focuses on two essential KPIs: total attain (visits, opens, listeners, and views) and leads (internet 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 staff 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 staff to be able to flip these leads into certified leads after which into happy clients,” he provides.
What KPIs matter most?
- Return on Advertising and marketing 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 Development Fee. Observe total development and segment-specific development (e.g., new clients vs. current clients).
- Buyer Acquisition Value (CAC). This metric has turn into more and more essential as digital promoting prices rise. Good groups monitor CAC tendencies throughout channels, segments, and campaigns, utilizing this information to constantly refine their acquisition technique.
- Pipeline Velocity. This composite metric reveals how shortly your advertising and marketing efforts convert to income.
Securing Government Purchase-In
To safe buy-in for a marketing campaign tied to this objective, you’ll want to body it by way of monetary affect. Executives reply properly to ROI-focused proposals.
- Converse their language. As an alternative of explaining advert spend by way of 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 electronic mail subscribers might 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 clients and their wants.
With AI and superior analytics on the forefront, understanding buyer wants is each simpler and extra very important than ever. Clients anticipate customized, seamless experiences. With out deep insights, manufacturers danger falling behind.
Carey Thiels is a requirement era strategist and advertising and marketing marketing consultant. She helps tech startups plan and execute a advertising and marketing technique that may get them to exponential development.
“Product adoption will let you know how properly your clients are utilizing your product. And, in fact, renewal and/or churn price will let you know if clients need to keep or transfer on to a different different,” she says.
All of those components are key to understanding your clients and their wants higher.
What KPIs matter most?
- Buyer Lifetime Worth (CLV). Understanding CLV by phase helps advertising and marketing leaders make smarter acquisition and retention investments
- Internet Promoter Rating (NPS). An easy metric for gauging buyer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Buyer Satisfaction Rating (CSAT). Measures how happy clients are together with your services or products.
- Buyer Retention Fee. Larger retention indicators your efforts to know and meet buyer wants are working.
Securing Government 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 reveal 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 successful new audiences or decreasing churn.
Jason Marshall, CMO at Huntress, additionally emphasizes this strategy: “Monitoring KPIs can assist advertising and marketing leaders construct a compelling case to get the help 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 powerful give attention to deepening buyer understanding and increasing attain. This means a balanced strategy between short-term gross sales objectives and long-term model constructing.
Model consciousness is the muse for future development. It ensures your organization stays related within the eyes of your viewers and top-of-mind once they’re able to make a buying determination. 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 per thirty days, 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 staff.”
He highlights how model consciousness efforts align immediately with income era, an important connection for incomes government buy-in. By rising HubSpot’s viewers by owned media like blogs, podcasts, newsletters, and YouTube channels, HubSpot Media reviews on whole 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 embody 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 development — in the end 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 rivals.
- Engagement-to-Attain Ratio. Relatively than simply monitoring followers or attain, good entrepreneurs measure significant engagement.
Securing Government Purchase-In
Model-building initiatives usually face skepticism from leaders centered on short-term outcomes. The hot button is connecting model metrics to income outcomes.
- Use robust examples. Display how a 20% improve in model consciousness on LinkedIn led to a ten% enhance in gross sales inside a key market phase.
- Leverage benchmarks. Use trade information to indicate how rivals 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. Positive, 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 electronic mail information advertising and marketing marketing consultant.
“Two KPIs I’m loving proper now are buyer engagement rating (how usually individuals work together with our content material) and neighborhood development price (development 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 and marketing is much less about one-off gross sales and extra about creating loyal clients who truly care about your model. Backside line: Deal with 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 an important marketer. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered that to be able to flip these concepts into actuality, you want vital parts like KPIs to measure success and significant government buy-in.
When you can’t see a powerful connection between your KPIs and the enterprise’s KPIs, it may be time to reassess your focus. Shifting your technique to higher affect the underside line won’t solely improve your contributions but in addition assist obtain buy-in from management.
By beginning with enterprise affect, 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 you’ll want to succeed.
Editor’s observe: This put up was initially revealed in October 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.