Executive sponsors play a major role in ensuring that content marketing programs align with overall company objectives. They’re also critical in securing the internal resources necessary for the program to flourish.
As such a crucial component, not having an executive sponsor may be the difference between your program’s success and failure.
What are the consequences of not having an executive sponsor?
Some companies choose to move forward with a content marketing program without an executive sponsor in place. This typically happens when a part of the organization experiences an acute need for content marketing but has been unable to secure resources or approval at the executive level.
Oftentimes content marketing programs start as rogue projects to take care of an immediate problem. The lack of corporate content marketing may be prohibiting a specific department (e.g., sales) from achieving its goals.
However, while rogue content marketing programs have good intentions, they are often misaligned with corporate goals. Having an executive sponsor can bring that program under the corporate umbrella.
Equally important, they can also ensure that the company allocates sufficient budget dollars and internal resources and establishes specific objectives and metrics to measure progress.
How can an executive sponsor add value to a content marketing program?
Beyond securing resources and funding, an executive sponsor helps resolve any issues that arise between different parts of the organization.
For example, say the content marketing manager wants to create a few articles based on interviews with the company’s engineers. The executive sponsor can help secure those interviews and ensure that they get done in a timely fashion.
Another example would be navigating the various approvals (executive-required and compliance-based) sometimes needed for content pieces before they can be published. In fact, one of the biggest reasons why content marketing programs stall is there is no one who can manage content approvals.
Companies in regulated industries, like financial services and healthcare, are susceptible to lengthy content approvals. In those industries, there is typically an added level of approval: compliance, led by a compliance officer.
The compliance officer is always backlogged with communications, which require review and approval. As such, there will be times where an executive sponsor can prove invaluable by working with the compliance officer. Together, they can ensure that they remove roadblocks and expedite content.
Executive sponsors help remove barriers to scaling up content marketing programs.
If you have an established executive sponsor, you can create more content at a quicker and more cost-effective rate. As mentioned previously, the biggest area that an executive sponsor can assist with is making sure that whatever programs within the content marketing area of the company are aligned with overall strategic and tactical objectives.
Select and establish the right objectives and correct metrics used to evaluate success. This is an area that requires planning, vision, strategy and interaction at the highest levels of the company. As such, establish these objectives as soon as possible. Once you do, communication and continuity will improve. However, without an executive sponsor, it’s very difficult for a content marketing manager to put such objectives in place.
At Tempesta Media, we highly recommend that you appoint a C-suite exec to be executive sponsor of the content marketing program.
Set yourself up for content marketing success.
At the end of the day, every company wants their content marketing programs to succeed. However, they need to get out of their own way to make it happen. Appointing an executive sponsor to help clear internal obstacles can mean the difference between success or failure for the program.
Need help?
If you have a content marketing program or are planning one, download our ebook 100 Mistakes Businesses Make When Starting, Optimizing and Scaling Content Marketing Programs.
This ebook will walk you through the mistakes of hundreds of other companies and the challenges they faced in implementing their content marketing programs. To learn more about how Tempesta Media can help you streamline your content creation process and deliver quality content at scale, contact us today.
