If your clients are selling to C‑level executives, they’ll need to advertise in the right media formats. And, while they’re at it, they’ll need to cover more than price, product, place and promotion to make a sale. C‑level decision makers want to understand industry trends before they buy. They also access specific kinds of content to stay informed. 

Greentarget has just published its State of Digital & Content Marketing Survey. The survey solicited input from C‑level executives, especially with respect to understanding how they purchase professional services.

Content Format

For these busy professionals, content delivered in article format rules. Over half of C‑level executives prefer traditional media and email. Those formats allow them to quickly review key data points. They also like infographics and interactive charts (44%). On a daily basis, content sources for C‑level executives include:

• Email notifications 55%
• Traditional media 52%
• Social media 35%
• Industry association publication 23%
• Trade publications 23%
• Industry thought leader websites/​blogs 10%

Content Value

Not all content forms deliver the same value to C‑level executives. Survey participants rated traditional media (such as national business newspapers) the highest at thirty-​five percent. Industry association publications and websites came second at thirty-​two percent. 

Analysts also considered the correlation between frequency of use and the value of content sources. While email is the go-​to source for 55% of c‑level execs, perhaps because it's so accessible, only 19% said it was very valuable. Traditional media scored well here with a daily use rate of 52% and a very valuable score of thirty-​five percent. The articles that received top scores from readers possessed the following attributes:

• Relevant 74%
• Educational 65%
• Timely 45%

You can help your clients win more attention from the c‑suite by developing the kind of quality content professional managers want to read. You can increase your chances of a sale by reviewing the AudienceSCAN profile on business decision makers with your clients. Get the data from the Digital Audit on AdMall from Salesfuel.