Buying by committee
In the tech B2B buying fairy tale, there’s more than one Prince Charming making purchasing decisions.
In fact, there are generally two or three people involved in the purchasing decision on a new solution.
Just three years ago, Gartner found that the typical buying group for a B2B solution involved six to 10 decision makers. So what has changed? There are likely multiple factors at play. However, current economic volatility means that whether it is designed by a committee of two or 10, projects that are going ahead are likely to be urgent and will need to be decided on faster.
Making time for tech
Buying committees may be getting smaller, but that doesn’t mean they are spending less time on finding new solutions.
92% are spending as much, or more time researching suppliers than they were 12 months ago.
Quality meets quantity
The famous saying rates quality over quantity. But it turns out tech B2Bbuyers want a bit of both.
Over half consume three to five pieces of content before they contact a supplier –4.2 is the average.
This is in line with last year, only dropping slightly from 58% and an average of 4.5 pieces of content. Reliability and trustworthiness of potential suppliers is key.
Device of mass consumption
Desktops and laptops are the main devices used to consume content on.
Video may have killed the radio star – but mobile has away to go before it knocks out desktops or laptops to consume content. It’s on the rise, though, with 34% using mobile – up from 30% last year.
It shows content needs to be fit-for-purpose for an omnichannel experience.
Content for what?
74% use content to learn about the technology – up from 70% last year.
B2B decision-makers also prioritise using content to evaluate different suppliers, and to plan their deployment and purchase. However, just as important is understanding the impact it can have on the business– and the ability to showcase that impact and value to senior managers.
So: if content is primarily a vehicle to learn about the tech itself and the business impact it will have, every piece created must highlight the product or service’s differentiators and value – and how it can address specific pain points or solve business challenges in a meaningful way.