Want to Engage Senior Executives? Think Mobile.

It’s the question that has dogged B2B marketers since the beginning of time, how can we get time with senior executives in large enterprise companies? While there is no easy answer, we may be looking at an evolutionary change in needs for senior executives that presents us with a window of opportunity to finally begin to connect with them.

A survey just released by Ipsos MediaCT found that North American senior executives took over 5.5million business flights in 2009. What does this tell us about senior executives other than they earn a helluvalot of reward miles, miss their families and suffer from jetlag?

Well let’s start with their perception of time and their need to stay connected.

How global competition has created a time challenge

The past 10 years have brought about great change in the global economic landscape and while this has created many new opportunities it has also forced great change on large enterprise companies and the executives that run them. Just a few of these changes…

• Executives are traveling more to focus on key business relationships.
• The recent years of economic instability mean being in constant connection with their organization, customers and suppliers.
• Staying competitive means staying connected to up to the minute news affecting their business.
• Time has become their most valuable personal and business asset. 

Enter the humble mobile device. The lynchpin to keeping this super busy executive connected to everything in their personal and business life, particularly while they travel.

James Torr, associate director at Ipsos MediaCT said: “The Business Elite in America is clearly embracing technology for both work and in their private lives. The Blackberry and other portable media devices have become the ubiquitous tool for the senior executive.” According top the Ipsos MediaCT study:

• 56 per cent accessed content through mobile phones or Blackberries in the last year
• 37 per cent read a blog
• Over a third used social networking websites with Linked In leading the pack.

Why travel time presents the best opportunity to reach senior executives

Without exception, every marketing and sales leader is looking for that doorway to reach key decision-makers in customer organizations. But the methods they use do not conform to the new shift in behavior and emerging needs of the business elite.

We have to start by getting over ourselves. To the senior executive we are not on the priority list and won’t be if we are trying to get precious face time to try and build an early relationship. But maybe this is because we are trying to get to them when they are at their busiest – in the office. But what about when they are sitting on the plane or in a limo going to and from their hotel?

Certainly there is far less competition for their time and if we do it right, just maybe we will find ourselves on their priority list.

So what do senior execs really want?

How we approach them and what we deliver is everything. Here are several things to keep in mind when crafting your strategy and delivery.

• Service is everything: Senior executives expect quality service in business and personally. This is a price of entry.
• Don’t waste my time: Be succinct in everything you do. Don’t take 5 minutes of their time when 2 minutes will do.
• Make it easy, make it simple: Complexity will kill your chances. Make sure everything you do is not only architected for consumption on mobile devices, but that your messaging and content is clear and straight to the point. Simple language and easy-to-use interfaces win the day every single time.
• Customize for their needs: Do the personal research and find out the little things they prefer or would perceive as a step above normal. These little personal touches make you memorable. This can be found in bios, Linked In profiles, their writings, charitable work, and from their EA or colleagues.
• Be relevant: Understand their business and their role, including how they are measured and held accountable. Do your homework and make sure this is reflected in the content you deliver.
• If I like it, I want action: Make sure you build in options for them to take action, with you and with their team. Allowing them to share content easily with colleagues is a simple and highly effective way to promote action and encourage stickiness of your content.
• Make it exclusive – No Riff Raff: These are High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) very used to mixing in certain circles. Make them feel exclusive in your approach and ensure they have easy access to your senior people.

Now that we understand them, how can we deliver and keep them happy?

We need to consider shifting from our traditional understanding of developing relationships and look at new methods to reach and arm them through their mobile devices. Think of it as a kind of “digital face time”.

Customizing delivery for mobile

The key to delivering to mobile is simplicity and timing.

• If you are building a mobile app, ensure it focuses on their biggest need and does it really well. Leave everything else out.
• Ensure all of your blogs are mobile friendly and that their ability to subscribe to them is simple. This includes ensuring your emailed content is mobile friendly.
• Consider a mobile site that allows them to easily and quickly browse and access your premium content such as case studies and thought leadership.
• If you can, become a “Go To source” by including great third party content in your mobile sites and blogs. The more you can consolidate great information under your banner, they more likely they will come to you first.

Customizing content for mobile

If your intent is to push traditional written content out to mobile, reconsider. Look at a couple of these options and try to identify more ways by speaking with your customers.

• Convert to written content to audio. All mobile devices can play MP3 files and other audio very well. Look at ways to narrate case studies and white papers allowing the executive to sit back and listen to you while they drive or fly.
•  Create layers of content that enables easy browsing. What has worked for my clients in the past is building content in 3 layers all connected to allow them to dig quickly into details if needed:
  • Layer 1: A brief synopsis- no more than a paragraph with good use of bullet points.
  • Layer 2: A high level overview of about 2/3 of a page.
  • Layer 3: A detailed read including key visuals.
• Make good use of video and PPT. Customer testimonial videos and solution overviews make great video and presentation content. Keep them brief – 2 minutes and less than 10 slides. Also make sure to consider file size for easy downloading.  

Mobile face time and the new relationship paradigm

One of the critical factors to leveraging mobile to develop relationships is building in a simple and effective way for two way communication. Think very simple social networking capability for you to listen and for them to ask questions via text or email.

Done correctly and non-intrusively, you can begin to discover emerging need and opportunity; an important opportunity enabling you to push even more relevant content to these business elite at a time when they have time for you.

Agree? Disagree? Think I’m a lunatic? I’d love to discuss it either way. Hopefully together we can find the right answers to the tough questions.

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About The B2Bblogger: Jeff Wilson is the founder of Sensei Integrated, a customer experience design firm working with leading global B2B enterprises for the past 12 years. Jeff and Sensei’s work is based on a deep understanding of human emotional behavior and how to influence people online in social media environments and demand generation programs. Find out more about Jeff at www.themountaintop.ca.

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