From Chairs to Cares: Shifting the Focus to What Matters Most

When we first considered the “chairs to cares” approach for Workiva’s Evergreen Campaign, it wasn’t just about rethinking messaging—it was about rethinking how we, as marketers, connect with real people. Personas and job titles (“chairs”) give us structure, but they’re only part of the story. The real opportunity lies in addressing the unique challenges, frustrations, and aspirations that truly matter to our audience—their “cares.”

In this blog, I’ll take you behind the scenes of our strategic shift, unpacking how we transitioned from persona-driven marketing tactics to care-driven communication. It’s this approach that ultimately led to some of the most impactful results Workiva has seen.

The Problem: Why Traditional Targeting Falls Short

For years, Workiva relied heavily on persona-based ad targeting. Titles like CFO, Auditor, or ESG Manager were treated as the starting point for campaigns, but this approach often failed to resonate. It reduced people to static categories, ignoring the individual challenges that define their roles.

Titles are helpful, but they’re surface-level. What do they want or need to do to get a promotion? That’s what we needed to solve, and the foundation for reimagining the campaign.

The Shift: Defining “Chairs to Cares”

The “chairs to cares” marketing strategy is simple in theory but transformative in execution. Instead of leading with what someone’s title implies they need, “chairs to cares” leads with what the target audience truly cares about. For example:

• Instead of saying, “This tool is perfect for auditors,” we asked, “Are you struggling to keep pace with regulatory demands?”
• Rather than highlighting Workiva’s technical specs, we focused on how its solutions simplified complex workflows and provided peace of mind.

This wasn’t about abandoning personas but enhancing them with deeper empathy and understanding. We believed that talking less about ourselves and more about the wants and needs of our audiences would help Workiva rise above competitors offering similar products.

Framework: From TOFU to “Care, Consider, Choose”

To operationalize this philosophy, we replaced the traditional marketing funnel (top, middle and bottom) with our “Care, Consider, Choose” strategic messaging framework:

1. Research
2. Define
3. Validate

The Product Discovery Process

At Mabbly, a holistic product discovery process requires three phases:

1. Care: Build goodwill through zero-click content—educational resources, thought leadership, and insights—to establish trust without asking for anything in return. We like to say: if they trust that we care, they’ll listen when we speak.
   Think: “Hey, this might be good for you to know.”
2. Consider: Transition to showcasing Workiva’s solutions as a natural next step. Messaging in this phase bridged audience challenges with Workiva’s capabilities.
   Think: “By the way, we’ve got a tool that may help.”
3. Choose: Bring in social proof. Testimonials, case studies, and client success stories validated why Workiva is the right—and only—choice.
   Think: “Here is why you should choose us.”

Messaging in Practice: A Human-Centric Approach

One of the best examples of this strategy came in our messaging for ESG professionals. A traditional technical pitch might have emphasized:

Workiva’s ESG solution features advanced automation and seamless integration capabilities, ensuring your reporting process meets all regulatory standards.

Instead, we led with empathy:

You’re under constant pressure to ensure compliance and meet sustainability goals. Workiva’s platform can help lighten that load.

Every touchpoint—from LinkedIn ads to blog posts—was crafted to align with this narrative. The result? Our audience didn’t just engage; they felt understood.

Results: Proof That It Works

The numbers speak for themselves:

• 122% increase in Sales Accepted Leads (SALs).
• 181% increase in Opportunities Created.
• 167% increase in Qualified Opportunities.
• $1.29M+ in Closed Won Deals, an 86% YoY increase.

What’s even more impactful than the metrics is the feedback we’ve received. Customers not only engaged more but expressed appreciation for messaging that truly resonated.

Lessons Learned: Applying “Cares” Across Campaigns

Here’s what we learned:

1. Empathy is everything. Addressing cares builds trust faster than touting features.
2. Channel strategy matters. LinkedIn and zero-click content became critical trust-building tools.
3. Iteration leads to breakthroughs. Weekly reviews and A/B tests allowed us to continuously optimize.

A New Standard for B2B Marketing

At its heart, “chairs to cares” is about putting the customer first in a way that feels authentic, not transactional. It’s not just a campaign philosophy—it’s a standard we’re carrying forward. By focusing on cares, we’ve proven that marketing can drive not only metrics but also meaningful, human connections.

Let’s keep elevating the standard together.