How to coach your C-suite team so they understand the value of marketing content
Fighting for your budget in uncertain times
Every marketing director knows the drill. Budget meetings where you defend every campaign expense. Presentations where executives nod politely at your engagement metrics, then ask what any of it means for the bottom line.
You may have the data, but you're speaking different languages — and your budget keeps getting smaller. Tech companies are slashing everywhere. Layoffs hit every quarter. If you can’t tie content to pipeline, your team’s funding is the first to go.
The timing couldn’t be worse — or better, depending on how you look at it. Just as budgets face the deepest cuts, the biggest content opportunity in years is emerging. AI is reshaping how customers discover companies, and content quality now determines who gets found. The organizations building strong content libraries today will dominate search results tomorrow.
But executives who don't understand this shift will cut back just as opportunities peak. Here's how to guide your C-level team so they understand what you do and why it's worthwhile.
Step 1: Establish your baseline
Before you walk into that budget meeting, you need numbers that tell a clear story, not vanity metrics or engagement rates. We’re talking about data that shows where your traffic comes from and what it's worth.
Start with your sources
Most marketing teams can rattle off their Google Analytics numbers, but few track how many visitors come from AI platforms. Many times, traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini doesn’t show up in standard reports, but chatbots are pulling visitors away from traditional search every day.
Set up tracking for AI referral traffic. You might find out that you’re already getting a substantial chunk of your visitors from AI platforms. Or you might discover your carefully optimized Google content isn't showing up in chatbot responses at all.
Benchmark what you have
Pull your content performance data for the past 12 months. Focus on pieces that drive actual business results: content that generates leads, moves prospects through your funnel and/or keeps customers engaged. Ignore page views and time-on-page. Track conversion rates, lead quality scores and revenue attribution.
If possible, document which content formats work best for your audience. Case studies might convert at 8%, while whitepapers convert at 2%. Blog posts might generate high traffic but low-quality leads. These patterns are crucial when you're arguing for budget allocation.
During the benchmarking process, make a note of the publication dates for your best content. Anything older than 18 months may need updates to maintain AI search rankings.
Track conversion by source
Visitors from AI platforms might arrive further down the funnel — they've already done initial research and want specific answers. Traditional search traffic might need more nurturing.
Break down your conversion rates by traffic source. These baselines can become important talking points with your C-suite. When they ask about ROI, you can show exactly which traffic sources generate revenue and which content drives results.
Step 2: Speak their language
Executives don't necessarily care about page views. They care about revenue and competitive advantage. Your job is to connect content performance to business outcomes.
Take your baseline data and run projections. For example, if your content generates 500 qualified leads monthly at 12% conversion, that's 60 new customers. Multiply by your average deal size to estimate content’s revenue contribution. A conservative 25% traffic increase from AI optimization translates to real dollars.
Use industry benchmarks for context. Conversion rates from organic traffic vary widely across industries and business models. If you're outperforming typical ranges, that's a strength to highlight. If you're underperforming, there's a clear opportunity for improvement.
Step 3: Show what’s at stake
Armed with revenue projections and benchmarks, you might think the case is made. But executives also need to understand what happens if they choose not to invest in marketing content. The opportunity cost story can be just as compelling as the ROI projections.
Content decay — the gradual loss of search visibility as your content ages — accelerates in an AI-first world. Every month you delay updates, competitors with fresher material capture more of your potential traffic.
The compounding effect means falling behind now creates exponentially larger gaps later. When a competitor's 2025 case study ranks above your 2022 version in AI responses, they don't just win that search — they establish authority that influences future rankings and puts you further and further behind.
Make it clear to your C-suite team that content decay is a preventable risk. The cost of updating content now is far less than the expense of rebuilding lost search authority later.
Step 4: Build support in the right order
Even with solid data and clear opportunity costs, most marketing directors still fail to secure budgets. The problem isn't their numbers — it's their approach. Walking into a room of mixed opinions and hoping the data speaks for itself is a setup for failure.
You need a deliberate sequence for building support.
Map your stakeholders first
In most organizations, marketing budget conversations involve three predictable types of stakeholders:
Champions: Already believe in marketing's value and have seen results firsthand.
Neutrals: Open to evidence and ask logical questions about data and ROI.
Skeptics: Emotionally resistant and find reasons to reject any evidence you present.
Why sequence matters
Skeptics are vocal and influential. When you try to convince them right at the start, they set a negative tone that makes neutrals defensive and silences champions. Work with your allies first. Get some traction before engaging with your biggest resistors.
Build momentum systematically
Start with champions. Give them compelling data and clear examples they can share with others. Arm them with stories about competitor losses and AI traffic gains. When neutrals hear champions defending content marketing, they may listen differently.
Convert neutrals second. They respond to logical frameworks and industry benchmarks. Show them the ROI scenarios and competitive analysis. Neutrals often become your strongest advocates because they've been persuaded by evidence rather than emotion.
Engage skeptics last. Save the most resistant voices for when you have momentum. When multiple C-suite members support your strategy, skeptics lose their power to derail conversations. They may never become champions, but they'll stop standing in the way.
Make your work impossible to ignore
Content marketing doesn't have to be the first budget casualty. The shift to AI search creates a clear opportunity to demonstrate value in terms executives understand. That means talking about revenue, market share and competitive advantage.
The companies that act now can own the next wave of customer discovery.
Don’t let your strategy get cut before it’s understood.
Map your data. Sequence your conversations. Make your case — and make it count.