Tech marketers must think beyond the 'IT Decision-Maker'

Research shows that tech buying decisions have changed globally, and that it’s not just those hallowed gatekeepers of tech spend, the ‘IT Decision Maker’ (ITDM), who should be the key focus of B2B tech marketing.

In LinkedIn’s study of over 2000 IT buyers, only 39% of them said the IT leader (eg. a CIO or CTO) was the most influential. In fact, 63% of the influential business functions sit outside of the IT department! Tech purchasing has become more democratised and delegated.

So if we must look beyond the IT decision maker, we need to understand the outlook and mindset of their advisors…

LinkedIn's recent publication, ‘Brand to Buyer: Building B2B Tech Brands That Shine’, provides some good insights. This report examined thousands of tech buying decision makers worldwide and provides marketers with valuable insights on reaching new customers. 

The new IT buying mindset: moving from risk to reward

The mindset of technology buying has shifted from risk to potential reward – from a focus on maintaining and mitigating, to a focus on innovating. Data from the Brand to Buyer report shows that over half (55%) of tech buyers are proactively investing in tech solutions. This gives marketers an opportunity to frame their product as an investment in growing their potential customer’s company. 

That means we marketers need to reach a bigger audience within our target companies. We also need to consider the wider range of personalities and perspectives represented on the buying committee. To achieve this successfully, we have to inspire and reassure, as well as tailor personalised content to a wider variety of influencers within those businesses.

The new IT decision-making audience

IT acquisitions may still be signed off by a CIO or CTO, but these days they share that responsibility with other senior leaders. Gartner research found that the average IT buying process involves between 14 and 23 people!  

That group helps IT decision makers scope the early requirements and set priorities for the purchase decision. The Brand to Buyer report lists marketing, business development, sales, and finance personnel as all having a part to play in this process. 

However, this group is apparently not impressed with the state of tech marketing. LinkedIn found that 64% of tech buyers think tech ads don't accurately grasp their challenges. They also thought that tech advertising is too vague (62%) or doesn't target them specifically (67%). 

That’s pretty savage, and marketers ought to sit up and take notice… So, what can we do?

In today's era of "buy by committee," IT decision makers are just one of many stakeholders with a say in a purchase. Recent LinkedIn and partner research suggests ways we might reach and persuade that chorus of voices...

Be creative.

B2B marketers need to elevate their brand by offering something more attention-grabbing and memorable.

Technology buyers told researchers, in no uncertain terms, that content needs to be useful, clear, and easy to understand. But there is room for improvement: while factual and clear information is undoubtedly important, it doesn't make tech brands stand out. 

Buyers in the study were asked the open-ended question of which B2B technology brands have the most creative approach to marketing - the top four responses were Microsoft, Google, IBM, and Amazon/AWS (maybe not the ones we would have thought of, but hey, a good starting point for some inspiration).

When asked which buyer needs tech vendors were having the most trouble addressing, ‘Demonstrating the ROI’ and ‘Helping fill the gaps left by employee churn’ came top of the list. Clearly, buyers want help from tech marketers in demonstrating the business case for technology investment.

We shouldn’t forget that B2B buyers are only humans at the end of the day. They don’t want to be bored with dry content. Be creative, address the pain points, and make your brand stand out!

Be direct and build brand. 

While creative campaigns are effective, they also need to explain your product and brand. 

If your messaging requires the buyer to already be familiar with your brand, it just won’t be effective. That right there is a great case for investing in brand awareness, as well as shorter-term campaign activity like lead generation. 

The top attribute tech buyers are looking for in tech ads is “Understanding what the ads are trying to sell.” In other words, tell the customer what you do before you tell them how well you do it. 

Don’t skimp on the brand awareness campaigns - 56% of technology buyers prefer to work with established brands that they already know of. This could be due to a variety of factors such as proven expertise, greater trust, or strong alignment with brand values.

Simple, right? Build your brand, tell prospects what you do, in a creative way. 

Be a thought leader.

Research also backs up what most tech marketers believe to be true - thought leadership works! The Edelman 2022 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report polled 3,500 IT decision makers about thought leadership material; a whopping 91% of respondents felt that tech brands can win their business with good thought leadership content, even in an economic slump. 

How? High-quality thought leadership content must help show them how to save money, retain customers, or beat their competitors. 

91% is a compelling figure - take that to your senior execs as more evidence that they need to step up their LinkedIn game! Better yet, as tech marketers, we should help them do it with good content strategy and support. 

All of this research shows that B2B tech buying has changed, and so should B2B tech marketing. We need to think beyond the typical ‘IT decision maker’ and engage everyone who influences buying decisions, with direct, creative, thought-leading content and campaigns.