Download - The Customer Journey

62%

S tag e 6

Approve And Authorize purchAses

S tag e 5

sell internAlly

S tag e 4

recommend & select vendors

S tag e 3

evAluAte products

& services

S tag e 2

determine technicAl

requirementsdetermine the Business need

S tag e 1

top 3 chAllengesLack of truly independent, unbiased information

Too much marketing hype & empty buzzwords

Hesitate to download for fear of unwanted sales follow-up

of ITDMs say its somewhat to very challenging to find enough high-quality, trusted information

to make an informed purchase decision comfortably

of ITDMs say that lack of content

matched to their information needs will decrease the likelihood of a purchase

CIO/ Executive IT48%LOB Management44%

S tag e 6


S tag e 5

sell internAlly

S tag e 4


S tag e 3

evAluAte products

& services

S tag e 2

determine technicAl

requirementsdetermine the Business need

S tag e 1

4 How Do THey shAre & use sociAl?

5THe 3 Keys To Increase sales

enterpriSeS take 1 month longer than SmBs to make purchaSe deciSionS.

Why? more itdms are involved.

S tag e 6


1. peers2. Analyst firms3. Tech vendors4. White papers5. Executive events

ITDMs willingness to share can make them your brand advocate

Become an integral part of your customers research process

63% performed additional product research54% visited a vendor website or contacted vendor29% added a vendor to their short list24% purchased a product

IT/Networking Staff61%IT/NetworkingManagement48%



CIO/ Executive IT59%

CEO49% CFO49%

CIO/ Executive IT50%IT/NetworkingManagement43%the

purc

hase

proc

ess

S tag e 5

sell internAlly

1. peers2. Tech vendors3. Analyst firms4. Tech content sites5. Search engines

S tag e 4


1. peers2. Tech vendors3. Search engines4. Tech content sites5. Tech vendor sites

evAluAte products

& services1. peers2. Search engines3. Tech content sites4. Tech vendor sites 5. Tech vendors

S tag e 3

determine technicAl

requirements1. peers2. Search engines3. Tech content sites4. Tech vendor sites 5. Tech vendors

S tag e 2

determine the Business need

1. peers2. Search engines3. White papers4. Tech content sites 5. Newsletters

S tag e 1

the p

urch

ase p

roce

ss

Technology news 40%Feature article on technologies 38%Case studies 37%Analyst research (IDC, Gartner, Forrester) 33%

How-to content/ information 44%Product demo/ product literature 42%Product testing/ reviews/opinions 42%Technology news 41%

Product demo/ product literature 63%Technology news 49%How-to content/ information 49%Case studies 48%

Product demo/ product literature 41%Analyst Research (IDC, Gartner, Forrester) 36%Technology news 31%Buyers guides 31%

Product testing/ reviews/opinions 26% Product demo/ product literature 21%Analyst research (IDC, Gartner, Forrester) 19%Case studies 18%

Product testing/ reviews/opinions 26%Product demo/ product literature 21%Analyst research (IDC, Gartner, Forrester) 19%Case studies 18%

Feature article on trends, strategy, management 49% 44%Feature article on technologies 66%product testing/ reviews/ opinions 45%product testing/ reviews/ opinions 29%roi tool, calculator, other assessment tool 30%roi tool, calculator, other assessment tool

the p

urch

ase p

roce

ss3 wHaT Type of contentdo they use?Each stage of the purchase process requires specific content to engage

2 wHere Do THey Find content?Consider where ITDMs look, and how much content they need

Know your tArget customer1

Leadership shifts with each stage of the purchase process

the chAllenge

THe cusTomer JourneyA guide to reAching it decision-mAKers through content mArKeting

oF itdms are Willing to Share online content

93%executive it iS more likely to uSe Social/BuSineSS netWorking SiteS For BuSineSS purpoSeS than other it levelS

of ITDMs use social/business networking sites for business purposes

diScuSS in perSon or By phone

What are they Sharing?links found via search 86%emails received directly 85%online links for articles in printed publications 83%technology content sites 82%conferences or events info 81%third-party research 79%

82%

time spent with vendors by it team

proSpective vendor

HOuRS PER WEEk

HOuRS PER WEEk

2.544.41

say a knowledgeable vendor rep makes them more likely to purchase

say a rep lacking knowledge makes them leSS likely to purchase

Average time for an ITDM to be ready for

sales contact after viewing or downloading technology product or service content

Familiarity cuts sales cycles in half

only 25% Believe thiS happenS Frequently

84%

83%

1 trust3Knowledge timing25 days

what makes a purchase less likely?say contact outside the ITDMs desired time frame71% say no vendor follow-up54%

top itdmsat each stage

top source:

peers

top content

At eAch stAge

the power of videoaFter vieWing a video...

how many itdms weigh in on major it purchases?

enterpriSe

11SmB

5shorten the sAles cycleBy tArgeting high-level it

non-headS oF it

months6.3deciSio

n

tim

e Fo

r m

aJo

rpu

rch

aSe

headS oF it

5months

is considered an optimal time frame in which to receive additional related content

unbiased product testing/reviews/ opinions 93%Relevant content 86%Established, trusted brand 73%

70% of itdms say association with a trusted third party increases credibility of vendor content

The distribution of influence & responsibility means technology marketers need to target all levels of the IT organization with messages tailored to the IT decision-maker (ITDM) involved at that stage of purchase process.

66%81%time-crunched it executiveS Feel thiS pain moSt acutely

report aS extremely or very challenging

non-headS oF itheadS oF it

40% 33%vs.

51%54%

42%

to succeed, tech marketers must deliver the right content, to the right person, at the right time, in the right format. here is a roadmap to help guide your efforts.

6 pull it All together

of ITDMs report

that association with a known, familiar source builds trust

77%

connecting peers

SourceS: idg enterpriSe cuStomer engagement Survey, 2014; idg enterpriSe role & inFluence oF the technology deciSion-maker Survey, 2014

how much content do itdms want?

when do they want it?

3.2weekshave registered online to receive content related to a specific enterprise technology solution in the past 6 months84%

itdms devour vendor content during the Selection proceSS

Average number of informational assets downloaded by ITDMs during purchase process 7 enterprises download more assets than SmBs

8 6vs.After registering to access a piece of content, ITDMs are interested in receiving an average of

2 additional pieceS oF content

of ITDMs are more likely

to click on a link from a familiar trusted source, like IDG Enterprises network of tech sites

92%

what drives tech Buyers to tech sites?

top 3 sharing methods 88% email/ ForWarding Share on linkedin37%

21 3

believe use of social/business networking sites improved their customer service experience with a vendor

51%

claim social/business networking sites increased their brand loyalty

43%

say such sites made them more willing to recommend a vendor to others

51%

current vendor

proSpective vendor 6.2 monthS

current vendor 3.3 monthS

enterpriSe

4 monthsSmB

3 months

enterpriSe

7 monthsSmB

6 months

idg enterprise connects youto technologys most powerful audience of enterprise influencers, business stakeholders, solution champions and final decision-makers.

say networking/ connecting with peers ranks as a top benefit of attending face-to-face events

72%

how to engage itdms

top 5 tactics create quality content by using insights about it leaders and their tech-savvy loB counterparts

1 develop content that speaks to key stakeholders at each stage of the purchase process

2 partner with a trusted source like idg enterprise and its network of technology sites and publications

WWW.idgenterpriSe.com

deliver your content and message at the right time via preferred channels

3 ensure timely follow-up from knowledgeable representatives

4 Build credibility and trust with decision-makers

5

only 36% Say vendorS Frequently hit the mark

Download - The Customer Journey

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