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Profiling the EMEA
Technology Buyer for more
Effective Media Planning
A TechTarget Global Marketer Services report
July 2012
Survey goals
● Key Goal:
- Put common assumptions about EMEA marketing
to the test
● Especially in these areas:
- Specialists vs. generalists
- Buying teams
- IT managers role in online research
- How do IT decision makers want to communicate with you
- What type of content should we all be producing
- How is social media working for B2B
2 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Who took the survey?
● Fielded March–April 2012
● Conducted online through web-based form
● 750 respondents across Europe
● 140+ per country (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux)
● Local language for France, Germany, Italy, Benelux
● Roughly 60%< 500 employees; 40%>500 employees
● Variety of job titles; 36% IT manager+
3 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Specialists are the marketing target you
should be planning for
● In most countries, a plurality
of IT targets call themselves
specialists
- Across tech specialists and
project-to-project specialists
- Germany lowest at 37%
specialist
- IT generalist sits at about 1/3
of target
● IT managers (17–23%) deserve
separate effort
- IT mgr proportion of buying
team decreases at larger co
● At larger companies, specialist
jumps to 55–66%
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 4
How would you describe your role?
52%
54%
38%
49%
50%
31%
21%
43%
29%
32%
17%
25%
19%
22%
19%
UK
Italy
Germany
France
Benelux
Tech/Serial specialist
Generalist IT manager
Specialist considerations as you set
your strategy
● Content considerations
- For mature categories, assume your targets have a sophisticated
knowledge of features and competitors—look for segmentation
opportunities
- Don’t shy from deeper technical problems as prospects are likely
looking for content focused on it
- SMB targets are more generalists, with less experience and will
want appropriate content
● Does this change things for your VAR enablement strategy?
● Larger company marketing
- Assume they are sophisticated on the tech front
- For serial specialist getting up to speed, need full chain of content
● IT Manager deserves a separate stream of marketing focused
on cost-savings and business benefit
5 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
IT researchers are juggling multiple purchases;
you’re competing for their attention
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 6
52%
53%
62%
54%
53%
UK
Italy
Germany
France
Benelux
● Across the region, a
majority are multi-tasking,
researching more than one
potential purchase each quarter
- About 10% have 5+ projects
- Little variance by company size
or change year to year
● Importance of marketing “at the
point of research” and aligning
with editorial content to
influence buyers as they are
doing research
2+ purchases per quarter
Plenty of ways to influence and “assist”
the busy IT researcher
● Capitalize on the ability to be a one-stop shop
- Those with broad product portfolios can try to address
multiple concerns
● Lots of cross-sell opportunities
● IT departments generally prefer to manage fewer vendor
relationships
● Respect the researcher’s time
- Make content readily available and easy to access
- Hold their attention; nurture with links to additional content
- Take an on-demand vs. live approach to webcasts, virtual
trade shows and other multimedia
7 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Does the IT manager handle the web research?
● At small companies, IT mgr
takes early stage research
burden
- 53% IT mgr+ from companies
<250 employees conduct
“awareness stage” research
alone
● >250 employees, IT mgrs farm
out early (50%) and late stage
(30%) research to team
● Late stage research—everyone
is involved
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 8
Which most accurately describes
your research pattern?
50%
33%
30%
21%
30%
53%
24%
30%
Early web research: Team does it
Early web research:
Do it myself
Late stage web research: Team does it
Late stage web research:
Do it myself
IT mgrs >250 emp IT mgr <250 emp
We get that your reps want to talk to the
IT director, but…
● Marketing efforts solely focused on IT manager and above
miss the point at larger organisations
- Exaggerated, but directionally correct, 60% of companies
>250 employees, IT mgr won’t show up in online demand
gen programs
● “IT manager-only” lead gen campaigns may be most effective
for smaller business target
● Need to change marketing and sales targets processes to
identify, incorporate and cultivate the broader buying team
● Online programs are part of the marketing cycle, not where it
will end. You will need to work to get to full buying team
(including the manager), but don’t ignore the first open door.
9 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Single buyer scenario is rare, especially
at large companies
● <20% in any country say buying
team of 1 is standard
- Less than 10% of companies
>500 employees say there is a
single buyer (except France)
● 55–66% say most common
scenario is 2–4 person buying
team (UK tends larger)
● 15% of >500 employee
companies report a typical
5+ buying team size
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 10
15%
34%
15%
21%
16%
4%
13%
4%
28%
9%
UK
Italy
Benelux
France
Germany
All >500 employees
% with single buyer scenario
Larger buying team has implications
for the way you market
● More potential contacts and ways to penetrate an account,
but everyone has a unique area of interest
- You need more content
● App manager, storage admin, project mgr, IT director may all work
on project, but each will approach a purchase from their unique
perspective
● Reps and marketing team follow-up has to know how to take
good first step with different roles
- Is the first email to a lead targeted to role or content downloaded?
- Can your reps/marketers speak the unique “language” of the
person who has downloaded the content?
● Finding as many contacts as possible is key
- Any contact you DON’T know is an opportunity for another vendor
to set tone for buying process
11 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
F2F events and print are declining in
importance as a “place” for research
● Across the board shifts away
from print, events
- UK and Germany see biggest
shift away from events
● Trend mirrored on the
“increased” use question
- % of buyers increasing online
research is double that of
group increasing use of F2F or
- Benelux >larger increase
for print
- France has biggest online
increase of 47%
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 12
Over last 2 years, where have you
spent less time in purchasing
research?
0% 25% 50%
F2F events
Independent sites
UK Italy Germany France Benelux
Similar shifts in how buyers want to interact
with tech vendors
● Buyers prefer to access
your site well ahead of other
means of contact
● Across the board declines
in phone preference
- Germany—49% report less
time on phone with vendors
- UK: >40% shifting away from
phone, F2F
- French habits more stable
● Importance of F2F with vendors
varies more by country
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 13
Where are you spending more
time in terms of buying research?
0% 25% 50%
Visit vendor sites
Email w/vendors
F2F w/vendors
Phone w/vendors
UK Italy Germany France Benelux
There are nuances, users want more time
with vendors as cycle advances
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 14
How do you most prefer to communicate with an IT vendor/VAR
at different stages?
71%
32%
15%
12%
25%
16%
8%
33%
63%
9% 10% 7%
0%
50%
100%
Awareness stage Consideration/solutioncomparison
Decision stage: Finalvendor selection
Events
Face-to-face
Phone
Email/Online
Outbound calls need to be timed just right
● Most frown upon early-stage phone calls
● Phone receptivity peaks during the shortlisting process
- Phone strategy should focus on contacting leads after there has
been some downstage indicators
- When asked when are you open to receiving a phone call, less
than 40% would take a call at all
● Benelux least receptive to ever getting a phone
- Less than 20% would take a call during any stage of the buying
process
15 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Receptivity to early stage phone calls is
on the decline
● In nearly all markets, IT buyers are becoming increasingly
reluctant to receiving early stage calls from IT vendors
16 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
2012 2011 % change
Benelux 27% 38% -11%
France 30% 53% -76%
Germany 18% 54% -66%
Italy 29% 33% -12%
UK 20% 41% -51%
How effective is a cold call with a content
offering?
● Across all markets, about half
got a call offering content
- Roughly 50%–75% accepted
the content, if it’s interesting
even if they had no plan to
make a purchase
- Germans (35%) most apt to
take the content just to end
the call
● Be skeptical of the info
collected
- Less than 10% provide
accurate info
- French most apt not to tell truth
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 17
How accurate would the information
you share about your company and
purchasing plans be?
0% 35% 70%
Would say anything to end the call
Somewhat accurate
Completely accurate
UK Italy Germany France Benelux
Hit users at the right time, with the right
message, through the right channel
● Avoid cold calling to early-stage prospects
- Most find it a nuisance and the information you should be
skeptical of the information you gather
● Nurture prospects using the same channel where you initially
engaged them
- Email online leads with additional content; raise familiarity with
your offerings and move them downstream
● Look for activity cues on when it’s a good time to call
- There’s a small window of time when calls are most likely to
be welcomed
- Rely on internal CRM systems and publishers to establish these
cues and have more engaged conversations with prospects
- Ensure your reps/ISRs are Web savvy
18 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Global best practices are more important
than you think to ITDMs in every region
● Even accounting for language
preference, more than half of
IT pros put global best practices
as what they look for most in
a site
- Preference for “global” content
rises at companies >500
employees
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 19
Which type of site do you prefer
for conducting IT purchasing
research?
59%
67%
59%
57%
58%
41%
33%
41%
43%
42%
UK
Italy
Germany
France
Benelux
Global best practices
Local content
What do the global/local results mean
for your marketing?
● Technology problems are rarely geo-specific
- Buyers want to stay up to speed on what is going on globally
● We think it says something positive about our approach of
global best practices content with local online sites
combination
● For your content, keep in mind:
- Users first want to know what you are doing that is global
and best
- Don’t diminish the value of local content, just size the investment
appropriately because it is typically the hardest to source,
produce and approve
- Prioritize what you want to be “local”
20 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
More variety exists than you would expect
in preferred content types
● Despite taboos around
“comparison,” users want that
insight most
- Especially in France, Germany
● More demand for product
literature than in US
- Germany stands out
● Users *say* they put case
studies and white papers
on even footing
- Performance indicates
differently
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 21
Rank value of the these content
resources when visiting an IT site
for research*
0% 30% 60%
Tech solution comparison
Trial software
Case studies
Product lit
White papers
UK Italy Germany France Benelux
* % rating ea. asset as among two most valuable
Which is more valuable: A local case study
or an industry case study?
● It’s a close call, but local trumps vertical-specific; local most
important in France
22 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Local case studies from
my country Case studies from
my industry
Benelux 24% 21%
France 39% 35%
Germany 34% 21%
Italy 22% 24%
UK 20% 13%
What insight do content preferences provide
for your marketing plan
● Invest in comparison content
- Produce your own comparison content—buyers know it is biased, but not enough content like it exists. They need a framework
● Align with sites that offer deep, technical best practices oriented material
- It’s among the two top types of content researchers look for
● Present more of your content as quickly as you can to your prospects—it shows expertise and will meet diverse preference
- We know your US teams have more content and can help
● Make trials easier—people want them
● Make the most of the case studies you have
- My opinion—have them available and use as follow up, but don’t lead with them (unless industry specific)
23 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
In non-English speaking countries, comfort
with English content decreases with rich media
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 24
68%
59%
62%
57%
22%
28%
30%
27%
10%
13%
8%
16%
Subtitled videos
Product Lit
White papers
Webcasts
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Not comfortable
France comfort
with English?
Benelux comfort
with English?
41%
32%
42%
35%
36%
33%
40%
27%
23%
35%
18%
50%
Subtitled videos
Product Lit
White papers
Webcasts
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Not comfortable
In non-English speaking countries, comfort
with English content decreases with rich media
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 25
43%
33%
33%
20%
45%
49%
53%
44%
12%
18%
14%
38%
Subtitled videos
Product Lit
White papers
Webcasts
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Not comfortable
German comfort
with English?
Italian comfort
with English?
17%
22%
24%
14%
43%
53%
47%
36%
40%
25%
29%
50%
Subtitled videos
Product Lit
White papers
Webcasts
Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Not comfortable
English can be a starting point for
European countries
● A significant percentage of users do feel comfortable with
technical white papers in English and can be a foundation for
baseline efforts:
- Benelux—Very/somewhat comfortable—92%
- France—Very/somewhat comfortable—84%
- Germany—Very/somewhat comfortable—71%
- Italy —Very/somewhat comfortable—86%
- Best if on your most technical/essential information
- Comfort level declines with more engaging media types
● You do miss a significant portion of the audience without the
local language component
- For our campaigns, 60%–80% of our French, German, Italian
campaigns come from local language campaign
26 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
IT Pros are using social media for research,
but not the popular platforms
● ITDMs seem to be looking to
social media for recognised
peer expertise and opinion
- Most of these options
are very niche
- “Influencer” based marketing
becomes important
● LinkedIn is only broad social
media platform playing any
role and how they are using it
is relatively unclear
© TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012 27
Which social media tools do you
use to gather info on potential tech
purchases?
0% 35% 70%
Online user communities/forums
Industry blogs
QQ&A sites (e.g. ITKE, Quora)
Twitter/Weibo
UK Italy Germany France Benelux
What direction can you take in terms
of social marketing?
● Figure out who the influencers are in these niche communities.
That is where the peer-to-peer advice giving is happening.
- Supply the leaders and the process with relevant content and
answers on things you know about
28 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012
Final thoughts
● Recognize that the march to specialisation is on (in total and
for an individual project) and respond to it
● Aggressively pursue the whole buying team
● Put even more bets online—that is where users are and
increasingly will be, including IT managers
● Simplify your local content approaches and start with the
English assets you have
● Begin movement to Web 2.0 sales and marketing
- Put off phone conversations; make more content available; target
your follow up and engagement
- Wide spectrum of sophistication in the market now (with some
clear, old barriers). Changing processes now will start you on the
journey
29 © TechTarget, Profiling the EMEA Technology Buyer for more Effective Media Planning, July 2012