Executives have a lot on their plate and little time to get through it all.
When presenting PPC results to a CMO or VP of Marketing, many marketers make the mistake of getting too deep into the weeds of their work.
Tailoring your delivery to your audience is crucial to any communication, whether it’s a presentation, email or report.
Here are three ways to make your next pitch to an executive a success.
1. Start with a simple takeout
There are cases where “saving the best for last” is great advice. Presenting to executives is not one of them.
Executives are busy and often impatient as a result. They need the CliffsNotes version, not the full edition.
They need to know right away what the takeaway should be.
In order to give them this takeaway, you first need to figure out what it is. My formula for perfect takeout has three main parts:
What did you do? What happened? (Link this to the main goals of the project or business if it’s not obvious.) How should your audience feel about it and what are you doing next?
Once you have these three items, you have your default opener.
Your takeaway should start, whether it’s the first sentence of your email, the summary of your report, or the opening slide of your presentation.
The beauty of this format is that it gets to all the main points, while limiting your ability to wax poetic about your process or secondary metrics that don’t really matter to someone with a VP title.
The executive needs to know what you did, but usually doesn’t need to know how you did it.
They need to know the results, but only to the extent that they affect the primary KPIs.
And they need to know how to feel about it and what comes next.
Here’s an example of a takeaway:
We launched Performance Max campaigns early last month. Over the past eight weeks, these campaigns generated more leads at a lower cost than legacy campaigns. In particular, an 8% lower cost per acquisition and a 4% higher conversion rate. These are great initial results that we hope to improve on in the coming months by launching additional top performing campaigns.
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This explanation begins by “naming” the project, so the executive can refer to it later if necessary.
It explains how the results affected the main KPI (leads, in this case), even if the metrics we’re reporting on are tangentially related (CPA and CR).
And finally, because it’s a rare executive who knows that a 4% increase in PPC conversion rate is amazing, he tells them that these are really good results and what’s coming next.
2. Use data to support your takeaway, not distract
Now that you have your main content, you have a clear direction on what should come next.
When it comes to selecting which data and charts to include in your reports, use the checklist below.
Does my data view refer to my takeout metrics?
Use your takeout metrics to guide the data you select. This ensures that the data you show is directly relevant to your main point.
It also helps you identify and discard data that may be tangentially fascinating, but not directly related to what you’re trying to say.
Any charts or tables that are not directly related to your takeaway should be relegated to the appendix or shared later as a supplement.
Does my data view show where to look?
Data and graphs can quickly become overwhelming, and executives need to know at a glance what’s important.
Visual representations should be included to help your audience understand the data quickly, not muddy the waters.
Use arrows, highlighted text, highlights, and text to show exactly where someone’s attention should go. This is especially important if you include a table with multiple rows and columns.
Does my data visualization clearly say something?
A data graph should only convey one important point to avoid obscuring or overshadowing your takeaway.
You may be tempted to fall into the “more is better” trap, but resist the temptation.
Remember, successful results mean tailoring your presentation to your audience.
When your audience is an executive, they need to know immediately why you’re including a chart and what they should get out of it.
This means that you need to be ruthlessly stingy in assessing how necessary metrics are and generous in creating new visualizations for each point.
If complex visualizations are required, use highlights, arrows, and callouts to draw attention to the part that really matters.
3. Direct him a colleague from another team
“The medium is the message” is a concept coined by communication theorist Marshall McLuhan.
It states that how a message is delivered determines how that message will be received.
This means that the way you verbally present your slides is as important as the content of the slides.
The words between the data in your email determine how the reader accepts the data.
The style and delivery of your report is as important as what the report is trying to say.
Even if you follow the steps above and know what you want your message to be, it can be difficult to know if it comes across the way you want it to.
You may feel like you are on the cusp of brevity compared to your usual delivery.
Still, it can seem rambling and confusing to executives who don’t interact with you regularly and have no point of comparison.
To help gauge the medium of your message and make sure it makes sense to an executive, have your presentation or briefing a colleague who is no PPC savvy and ask for specific feedback, such as:
Is your takeaway clear? Is the main point quickly apparent? Does the data clearly support your main point? Is there “fluff” that can be removed or does it look superfluous? Does it feel too long? If it’s a verbal presentation, are your slide-to-slide transitions smooth? Do you use acronyms and not explain what they mean? Is the information organized in an easy-to-follow format? If it is a written report Are there too many conjunctions? Did they have to read a sentence twice?
Be sure to time yourself as well.
Shorter is better, and a time/word limit, even a self-imposed one, can help you discard items that aren’t directly relevant and eliminate unnecessary words.
Present your work to people who matter
If these suggestions seem like extra work, that’s because they are.
Presenting to executives means presenting to the most influential people in a company and requires a different kind of preparation.
These people can advance your ideas or stop them in their tracks.
As nerve-wracking as it can be to deliver results to senior management, it can also open doors and opportunities if you succeed. Remember: keep it brief and stay out of the weeds.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
