TL;DR
Executives don’t fund marketing language. They fund plans tied to the outcomes they already care about. Build a roadmap that ladders up to corporate objectives, separate the marketing from the production and amplification, and educate upward, starting with your closest allies.
How do I get executives to fund the marketing plan?
Show them the investment required to maximize each channel and overall marketing results. Cut out the digital marketing buzzwords and keep language closely tied to business impact, and talk about how the plan aligns with the organizational objectives that are top of mind for them.
What should a marketing roadmap include?
The most effective marketing roadmaps ladder up to immediate and long-term corporate objectives and targets. They also account for the resources needed to get the work done — time, people, and expertise — and separate the marketing from the production and amplification that carry it.
How do I build buy-in when I don’t have the authority?
Work in concentric circles. Start with close allies and collaborators, then work outward to other teams. Add existing data to minimize subjectivity, or propose testing ideas on a smaller scale before full-scale implementation.
How do I decide which priorities make the cut?
Examine the landscape through two lenses: problems and opportunities. Then offer a concrete rationale for your recommendations, along with a summary of the alternative strategies you evaluated.
Editor’s Note.
Updated October 2026 for accuracy and to reflect how we talk about marketing today.
Some organizations report they can spend months finalizing their annual plans, often stretching into Q2 or beyond. And marketing budgets are often the first on the chopping block — so in-house digital marketing expertise, which is crucial for creating a visible impact, may be limited.
Yet, marketers are still on the hook to drive results.
This pressure can lead to a reactive series of tactical tasks. Marketers dive headfirst into creating even more content, posting more often, and finally getting that email newsletter out on schedule.
But that’s production and amplification, not marketing. Without the marketing behind it — who the company is talking to, the problem it solves for them, and the proof that backs it up — there’s nothing meaningful or structured to amplify.
So, what’s a marketer to do?
Reframing the Conversation
It’s time to change the narrative. Experienced marketers are experts in strategically allocating budget, accurately measuring the outcomes that matter — conversations, conversions, and revenue — not just what’s easily measurable, and aligning initiatives to market opportunities. Proven go-to-market channels like email, LinkedIn, and the website don’t need to keep proving themselves. They amplify that work, but only when the marketing behind them is in place.
Marketing can no longer be viewed as a cost center — it must be recognized as an integral component of the business.
To make progress, marketing leaders build challenge-led marketing playbooks centered on real business challenges. These playbooks are driven by a compelling “why,” and include a flexible marketing roadmap that adapts to changing demands and fosters alignment across the organization.
Defining Strategic Priorities
Harvard Business Review (HBR) suggests the initial step is defining strategic priorities that matter most to the business involves examining the landscape through two lenses: problems and opportunities.
Once these core challenges are identified, the next step is to select the most effective approaches to propel the organization toward meeting its goals. HBR outlines six strategic concepts that distinguish high-performing companies. It’s also beneficial to reassess past strategies that may once again be relevant. Consider whether there was a previously unfulfilled strategy or one that was effective but became overlooked over time.
For ultimate CRED, offer a concrete rationale for your recommendations, accompanied by a summary of alternative strategies you evaluated. This approach demonstrates a thorough analysis and ensures the chosen strategies are robust and well-considered.
Building an Effective Roadmap
The playbook doesn’t stop there. Now, it’s time for an action-oriented roadmap. The most effective marketing roadmaps ladder up to immediate and long-term corporate objectives and targets.
At the same time, it should also inform execs of the investment required to maximize each channel and overall marketing results. Cut out the digital marketing buzzwords, and keep language closely tied to business impact.
“It’s so important for marketing leaders to tie their plans to clear outcomes that can be easily understood,” Crystal Gettemy Jones wrote on LinkedIn. “I think a lot of the time we get caught in our marketing language that doesn’t resonate with CEOs and Boards. We need to talk about how we are aligning with the organizational objectives that are top of mind for them.”
To further refine your marketing roadmap, make sure to incorporate tactics that align with current data protection protocols, including:
- Adjusting to a cookieless reality, which emphasizes the importance of zero-party data in marketing attribution.
- Improving email sender reputation, which can significantly impact the company’s ability to maximize campaign engagement and effectiveness.
Assess the necessary resources needed to get the work done — such as time, people, and expertise — and consider how outsourcing precise channel expertise can help.
Gaining Internal Buy-In
Crystal Jones and I took this conversation further on Marketing, honestly: what happens when marketing owns the outcomes but none of the decisions that drive them.
Prefer audio? Listen on Spotify.
Every marketer knows the struggle of trying to convince the CEO or COO that marketing is crucial to the business. But when making that argument becomes the job, marketing stays on defense. The goal is to educate upward, so leadership sees the outcomes marketing drives and gives it the authority to build instead of defend.
As Patricia H. shared on LinkedIn, “The marketing plan should not be kept in a vacuum that only executive leaders are aware of — it should be widely communicated so all are invested in its success.”
Marketers can work in concentric circles to build support. Start with close allies and collaborators, then work outwards to other teams. This approach helps identify gaps and refine internal communications — because if that inner circle isn’t excited by the marketing plan, it’s unlikely other departments will buy into the vision.
To further strengthen your case, add existing data to support your recommendations, minimizing subjectivity. Or, present a plan to test ideas on a smaller scale before full-scale implementation, demonstrating a prudent use of resources and a commitment to delivering measurable impact.
Having a thoughtfully structured, challenge-led playbook with a flexible roadmap gives leadership a plan they can get behind — and gives marketers the authority, space, and trust they need to 𝐝𝐨 marketing.
