the tech marketer difference

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Customer Research

The TECH MARKETER

difference

The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

 Understand the differences, if any, between marketers that work in the technology sector versus those that do not.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

Methodology

Targeting

Research

Global 10 minute online survey using LinkedIn sample.

Total Global Sample: n=2,232 Fieldwork: Jan. 2016

English speaking professionals who classify as marketers with at least one year of experience.

12%

20%

23%

45%

Tech Marketers

1-2 years

3-5 years

6-10 years

10+ years

14%

21%

21%

44%

Non-Tech Marketers

1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 10+ years

Our sample: Time in Industry

50% are either a Marketing Manager or Director of Marketing

Our sample: Company Size

Inferred SMB

32% 39% 1-10 11-50

51-200

30% 26% 201-500 501-1000

1001-5000

38% 35% 5001-10000 10001 and above

Tech Non Although there is a nice spread of company sizes, it is not surprising that Tech Marketers skew slightly more toward Enterprise compared to Non-Tech Marketers.


INITIAL FINDINGS The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

There are more differences than similarities between tech and non-tech marketers. Here are some of the highlights at-a-glance.

ü  Tech marketers are dominated by B2B and the specific issues that come with it like lead-generation, lead quantity and quality, and reaching the right audience.

ü  Tech marketers are less satisfied with their jobs and struggle to get headcount.

ü  Tech marketers are focused on tools and specificity.

ü  Tech marketers view LinkedIn as more of a resource for specific content about marketing than non-tech marketers.

Overall, marketers are not spending their time on the tasks they think are important.

All Marketers want relevant content, and industry-specific is the key to relevance.

Non-tech marketers share the “lead gen” challenge and could learn from what tech marketers are doing.

79% 51%

 of tech marketers surveyed work in B2B

 of non-tech marketers surveyed work in B2B

The Tech Marketer’s world is dominated by B2B


THEIR CHALLENGES The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

Tech Marketers are less satisfied with their jobs… but not because of the hours.

 36% of tech marketers surveyed

are dissatisfied

 29% of non-tech  marketers surveyed  are dissatisfied

64%

36%

71%

29%

While 2/3 of both groups reported working 40-50 hours week

Lead Generation

Content

Tech Marketers

Unique to list: Mass Advertising

Unique to list: Lead Nurturing

Brand Awareness

Non-Tech

Social Media

Customer Loyalty

 Top 3 types of marketing they’re engaged in:



There’s a disconnect when asked what they are engaged in versus what is viewed as most important.

For both, Customer Loyalty is deemed ”most important” but is not in the top 5 of marketing actually engaged in. While Email is #3 for “engaged in” on both lists — but not deemed as important.

Tech Marketers

Most important

types

Top actually

engaged in

Non-Tech Marketers

Most important

types

Top actually

engaged in

Brand Awareness 1 2 Brand Awareness 1 1

Lead Generation 2 5 Social Media 2 2

Content 3 4 Customer Loyalty 3 —

Social Media 4 1 Content 4 5

Customer Loyalty 5 — Lead Generation 5 —

Email — 3 Events — 4

Email — 3



What’s the sources of tech marketer’s and non-tech marketer’s dissatisfaction?

Top Internal Challenge:

Getting

headcount and staffing

Most difficult department:

Product

Development

Least difficult: Customer Service &

Support

Top Industry Challenge:

Acquiring

high-quality leads*

Top Internal Challenge:

Implementing

the latest marketing

technology

* Non-tech marketers only share one challenge with their tech counterparts: Acquiring high-quality leads. Yet, When we pull out non-tech B2B respondents the #1 Challenge is “Managing the long Sales Cycle”.

Most difficult department:

Product

Development

Least difficult: Inside sales/Tele Support

Top Industry Challenge:

Acquiring

high-quality leads

Tech Marketers Non-Tech Marketers



Non-tech marketer’s technology adoption aligns with their internal challenges.

14%

24%

33%

22%

7% 10%

26% 29% 28%

7%

Innovators Early adopters Early majority Late majority Laggards

Tech Non-Tech

Tech skews more toward Innovators/Early Adopters where non-tech skews Late Majority/Laggards, confirming what we see in the Internal Challenges for Non-Tech.


CONTENT CONSUMPTION The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

Where are marketers going for information and content to help them do their jobs?

25%

28%

22%

15%

22%

28%

46%

35%

23%

64%

22%

23%

25%

28%

34%

35%

37%

39%

42%

73%

Consumers panels sites

National statistics sites

MarketingProfs

Marketo

HubSpot

Marketing statistics sites

Your Facebook network

Platform/publisher Insight hubs

Syndicated data sites

LinkedIn

Tech Marketers

Non-Tech Marketers

When it comes to content, we saw tech marketers more likely to visit LinkedIn and syndicated data sites for marketing resources versus their non-tech colleagues, who are more likely to consult their Facebook networks.

58% 63%

Topics searched for most often

 Of Tech Marketers surveyed search for

“Content Marketing”

 Of Non-Tech Marketers surveyed search for

“Social Media”


CONTENT CONSUMPTION The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

Other top five searched topics after “content” for tech marketers and “social media” for non-tech marketers.

Brand Marketing

My Specific Industry

Marketing ROI

Marketing Technology

Tech Marketers Average # of Info = 8

Non-Tech Marketers Average # of Info = 7

Email Marketing

Job Opportunities

Lead Generation

Measuring Performance

Marketing ROI Marketing Automation

 Tech marketers search most often for information on

content marketing, marketing ROI, marketing technology,

lead generation, measuring marketing performance, and

marketing automation. Non-

tech marketers search for information on social media,

brand marketing, email

marketing, and marketing ROI.


SPECIALISTS AND GENRALISTS The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

Where responsibilities are concerned, tech marketers exhibit vastly different, highly specialized priorities vs. their counterparts in other industries.

Our results saw that tech marketers are heavily

preoccupied with generating leads. On the contrary,

non-tech marketers listed more generalist business

objectives as key priorities, such as brand awareness.  Specialist  Generalist

Lead Generation

Lead Nurturing

Account Based Marketing

Channel Enablement

Field Enablement

Brand Awareness

Public Relations

Customer Loyalty

Direct Mail

Mass Advertising

Non-Tech Marketers Tech Marketers

Top five areas of responsibility


SPECIALISTS AND GENRALISTS The TECH MARKETER DIFFERENCE

 Precise  Broad


CRM

Product Marketing

Business Development

Leadership

Lead Generation

Advertising

Market Research

Strategic Planning

Sales

Event Management

Top five skill differences listed on their profiles

 Deep  Wide


Cloud Computing SAP

Business Intelligence CRM

Direct Marketing SaaS

Facebook Fan Pages

Internal Comms European Union

Lean Manufacturing Loyalty Programs

Retail e-Commerce

Design Thinking

Top seven content topics consumed on LinkedIn

It was clear from the skills tech marketers listed on their LinkedIn profile that tech marketers have an edge when it comes to tactics and precision Respondents listed skills like: CRM, product marketing, business development, leadership, and lead generation. Non-tech marketers, again, are more general: advertising, market research, strategic planning, sales, and event management.

The TECH MARKETER difference

THINK LIKE A SPECIALIST

ü  In-depth knowledge of tools, tactics and technology can help drive effectiveness.

ü  Content is at the cornerstone of the tech marketers strategy.

ü  Focus content on industry issues and topics — not broad themes.

ü  Specific in-depth content will help your audience solve their unique problems.

ü  Detailed information about your products and services can help drive relevance.

ü  Technology can help improve targeting, relevance and measurement of performance.