The non-IT crowd: Reaching today's B2B tech buyer
Initially broadcast 2nd December 2021
These days if you’re not in tech, it’s likely you’re not in business. It touches almost every department within a company and is integral to success. As a tech marketer, your target market has exploded in recent years, and the buying committee has evolved with an appetite for different needs and requirements.
Earlier this year we commissioned a report with B2B marketing called ‘Reaching today’s tech buyer.’ The subject was inspired by insight from LinkedIn’s annual Age of Agility report that found the IT department now only retains its status as the most influential voice in a third of tech buying decisions, down from 75% in 2014. This got us thinking about how the tech buying demographic has changed and what we can do as marketers and creatives to connect with this new breed of tech buyer.
Our host, co-founder and director of Shaped By Nick Farrar asked our panel of experienced, senior tech B2B marketers for their insight:
The panellists
Heidi Joy Tretheway
VP Marketing
Quix
Barbara Moreno
Head of Air Distribution Positioning
Amadeus
Qabil Shah
Senior Director – Global Enterprise Marketing
Nutanix
Luke Richardson
Director of Brand & Communications
Pleo
So, what were the key takeaways?
- Everything is becoming decentralised. You are communicating to the contract signer, but also the end user. You need to be user-centric. Focus on the end user’s needs and wants.
- Look for inspiration everywhere. For example, referrals could be a huge part of how you reach new customers and buyers which may present a big opportunity.
- Think about your deal cycle – one size doesn’t fit all. There may be people who are discoverers, buyers, approvers, and end users. In these categories there may be ‘speedbumps’ who slow down deals. Find out what they want and create ways answer their questions.
- Anticipate what’s going to get in people’s way when using your product. You must give them a frictionless experience and know what pain points need addressing before they happen.
- Internal digital culture is improving. Internal audiences like IT aren’t siloed in their departments. They are now collaborating with CTOs, CIOs, CMOs and aligning on the same goals. They are coming together to see a quicker and better way of doing it.