B2B marketers often struggle to rank and prioritize the many information sources available to keep recommenders, influencers, decision makers and approvers up-to-date with new technologies so they can remain effective in their role.
Over 1,000 respondents from all industries considering major IT purchases were asked which information sources they used at each stage of the buying process in a recent IDG Technology Survey. The top responses are categorized and highlighted below.
Sources to Use to Stay Up-to-Date with Technology & Remain Effective
- Sites featuring technology with compelling content
- White papers that were not sales pitches
- Interactions with well-respected peers outside of their company (i.e. peers that are outside of their company that are contacted through the phone, email or in-person)
- Webcasts and web video with thought leaders and that provide insights, survey results and best practices
- Peers (peers inside the company and who may be in the same group or different groups)
- Technology vendor’s websites that provide information about the industry, business problems, technology, use cases and business problems (as opposed to selling products)
IT Purchase Process: Stage 1 – Determine Business Needs
- Peers (peers inside the company and who may be in the same group or different groups)
- White papers that were not sales pitches
- Technology vendor’s websites that provide information about the industry, business problems, technology, use cases and business problems (as opposed to selling products.)
- Webcasts and web video with thought leaders and that provide insights, survey results and best practices
- Interactions with well-respected peers outside of their company (i.e. peers outside of their company contacted through the phone, email or in-person)
- Newsletters that provide information and insights about the industry, technology, resources, contacts and contact info, tips and tricks and upcoming events
IT Purchase Process: Stage 2 – Determine Technical Requirements
- Sites featuring technology with compelling content
- White papers that were not sales pitches
- Peers (peers inside the company and who may be in the same group or different groups)
- Interactions with well-respected peers outside of their company (i.e. peers outside of their company contacted through the phone, email or in-person)
- Technology vendor’s websites that provide information about the industry, business problems, technology, use cases and business problems, (as opposed to selling products)
IT Purchase Process: Stage 3 – Evaluate Products/Services
- Sites featuring technology with compelling content
- White papers that were not sales pitches
- Webcasts and web video with thought leaders that provide insights, survey results and best practices
- Technology vendor’s websites that provide information about the industry, business problems, technology, use cases and business problems, (as opposed to selling products)0
- Interactions with well-respected peers that are (i.e. peers outside of their company contacted through the phone, email or in-person)
IT Purchase Process: Stage 4 – Recommend/Select Vendors
- Interactions with well-respected peers outside of their company (i.e. peers outside of their company contacted through the phone, email or in-person)
- Peers (peers inside the company and who may be in the same group or different groups)
- Sites featuring technology with compelling content
- Contact at the right time with technology vendors through phone, email or face-to-face meetings and vendor is deemed to provide value or possess knowledge
- Technology vendor’s websites that provide information about the industry, business problems, technology, use cases and business problems, (as opposed to selling products)
IT Purchase Process: Stage 5 – Sell Internally
- Peers (peers inside the company and who may be in the same group or different groups)
- White papers that were not sales pitches
- Contact with respected technology analysts through phone, email or face-to-face meetings
- Contact at the right time with technology vendors through phone, email or face-to-face meetings and vendor is deemed to provide value or have knowledge
IT Purchase Process: Stage 6 – Approve/Authorize Purchase
- Peers (peers inside the company and who may be in the same group or different groups)
- Interactions with well-respected peers outside of their (i.e. peers outside of their company contacted through the phone, email or in-person
- Contact at the right time with technology vendors through phone, email or face-to-face meetings when the vendor is deemed to provide value or possess knowledge
- Sites featuring technology with compelling content
- Technology vendor’s websites that provide information about the industry, business problems, technology, use cases and business problems, (as opposed to selling products)