the social bridge to the it committee - uk
DESCRIPTION
How social media puts IT brands on the shortlist If IT companies want to be shortlisted by potential customers, they need to earn the attention of decision-makers long before they start reaching out to suppliers. And to do that, they need to put the right content in front of the right people on the right social media channels. New research from LinkedIn and comScore reveals how social media increasingly drives the decision-making process for “The IT Committee”, the group of senior decision-makers who have the final, collective say on IT purchases. This group is already 60% of the way through the purchase decision process before its members start to make contact with potential suppliers – and any company that has failed to make the shortlist by this point is unlikely to be considered. LinkedIn partnered with comScore, Starcom Mediavest Group and Mashwork to understand the processes behind the IT Committee’s decisions – and how companies can use content on social media to become a part of the discussion. The findings of this pioneering global study reveal the workings of the IT Committee across a range of different markets, including the UK, France and Germany. It shows the types of content that decision-makers seek, and the social media channels that they turn to, in order to find it. To earn a place on the shortlist for new customers, IT companies must reach out with content that can educate and add value when decision-makers are seeking an efficient, trusted overview of the options available. Social media and LinkedIn in particular provide the most powerful channel for doing so: In the UK 92% of IT decision-makers use social networks for business, and LinkedIn is used 80% more often than other social media networks to read content posts from vendors. Industry news and strategic insight are vital for driving awareness, whilst demos, best practice information and ‘how to guides’ are the types of content most actively sought in the scoping and planning stages. The likelihood of IT decision-makers meeting with vendors, conducting live chats or attending webinars all increase significantly when companies are able to make contact with them using such forms of content. In the UK, IT brands’ Net Promoter Score amongst IT Committee members almost doubled after interacting with them twice on LinkedIn.TRANSCRIPT
The Social Bridge to the IT Committee How trusted content on social media
builds relationships with IT buyers
Commissioned study
conducted by:
2
Through decision
making process
60%
Buyers are highly informed, savvy, and demanding
Source: CEB, “The Digital Evolution in B2B Marketing”, 2012
First contact
with brand
Tech companies risk being on the
sidelines if they don’t educate and help
TECH
COMPANIES
3
Decrease in lead potential
Implications
Less exposure to client and prospect
projects
Limiting long-term perception as a trusted
partner and thought leader
Social media can help bridge the gap and build
relationships
4
TECH COMPANIES
Why is it so critical to foster long-term relationships?
THE IT COMMITTEE
They work
cross functionally
41% work outside of IT
They include individual
contributors and managers
52% are individual contributors or managers
These scarce influencers include more than the IT
department and the Executive team
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 6
LinkedIn partnered with comScore, Starcom MediaVest Group,
and Mashwork to understand today’s B2B IT Committee
comScore: Q3 2013
SMG / Mashwork: 2012
LinkedIn data: Q2 2013 7
What are they thinking?
201 IT Committee members in
the UK
What are they saying?
3,000 tech posts from public
LinkedIn Groups
What are they doing?
IT decision makers on LinkedIn
Key Findings
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 8
Make the vendor shortlist by
fostering long-term relationships,
while serving short-term needs via
lead generation.
The vendor shortlist is more
exclusive and critical than you
think.
Social media is not just for
connecting with peers. The IT
Committee actively seeks insights
& conversations with vendors.
The IT Committee actively seeks conversations with vendors on social media
9
Nearly all of the IT Committee use social networks
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 10
2013
92% 95%
2012
81%
Use social network monthly for business
The reason? Social media – LinkedIn especially – provides
them with trust, efficiency, relevance, and access
Source: Commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2012 11
Access
A
Access a
broader network
50%
Relevance
R
Relevant context to
connect with vendors
39%
Efficiency
E
Quickly
find information
37%
Trust
T
Learn from
trustworthy peers
51%
TERA continues to drive even deeper utilisation across the
entire IT decision process
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 12
55% 49% 83% 76% 89%
Implement
66%
Select
69%
Plan
74%
Scope
73%
Awareness
78%
Influence of social media at each stage of decision making
YoY Increase
As tech decision makers use social to learn and debate,
they’re looking to vendors to participate
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 13
72% Open to connecting with
vendors on social
Ready to have a conversation
with a vendor on social
76%
The vendor shortlist is
more exclusive and critical
than you think
14
The IT Committee already have a good idea who they want to
work with
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 15
vendors make their short list Only 3
purchased from a vendor that made the short list 94%
purchased from a new vendor Only 1 in 5
How do you make the short list if you are a new vendor?
Old ways of communicating don’t work and can turn off your
audience
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 17
Top 5 reasons the IT Committee doesn’t connect with a
vendor on a social network
02
Talk too much about
themselves
04
Don’t believe would provide
any credible information
03
Don’t believe would provide any
info that is relevant to my job
01
Don’t want to receive a lot of
marketing materials
05
Not thought leaders in
the category
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013
Building relationships with the right content is critical to
being considered
18
AWARENESS SCOPE PLAN SELECT IMPLEMENT
The IT Committee are interested in a diverse range of topics
– earn more interest with multiple types of content
19
IT industry news /
strategy info
Prod/solution demo / software trial
General company information
/ investor information
Best practices, how-to’s, checklists
Top types of information sought in each stage of IT
decision-making process:
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in 10 countries on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013
Diagnostic or assessment tools
Best practices, how-to’s, checklists
IT industry news /
strategy info
3,217 IT Decision Makers engaged with
this article on LinkedIn in June
"Windows 8 is gold: Release date just
days away [link] #ITBW for
@computerworld by @richi $MSFT”
Junior Decision Maker, Twitter
"It's nice to hear that Asian companies are
starting to adopt e-learning. [Link] E-
learning going mobile in Asia | ZDNet”
Senior Decision Maker, LinkedIn Groups
20 Source: commissioned social intelligence research conducted by Mashwork on behalf of Starcom MediaVest Group and LinkedIn, Q1 – Q4 2012
Senior decision makers are 2X more likely to have shared
and engaged with product / industry news
Senior decision makers were 11.5X more engaged with
thought leadership content
21 Source: commissioned social intelligence research conducted by Mashwork on behalf of Starcom MediaVest Group and LinkedIn, Q1 – Q4 2012
1,345 IT Decision Makers engaged with
this post on LinkedIn in June
22 Source: commissioned social intelligence research conducted by Mashwork on behalf of Starcom MediaVest Group and LinkedIn, Q1 – Q4 2012
Junior decision makers were 39% more engaged with best
practice content
"An interesting and insightful article elaborating on the
innovative applications of analytics to enhance VAS
revenues.... [Link]"
Junior Decision Maker, LinkedIn Group
Build relationships to make
the short list
23
Traditional lead generation needs to be blended with social
to earn leads
24
Sweet Spot
Social
Relationships
Valuable Content
Traditional
lead generation
Context matters. Credibility and trust drive brand perception
and willingness to consider a vendor for the shortlist
39%
40%
43%
38%
39%
42%
22%
21%
15%
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013 25
% who trust LinkedIn more than other websites
Connecting more efficiently with vendors and relevant companies
Talking about my experience with IT vendors
Receiving information relevant to my IT decisions
LinkedIn Same Other websites
The IT Committee are more likely to engage with their
vendors on LinkedIn than on other social networks
26 Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013
Reading a post from their vendor
Following their vendor
20% more often than other
social networks
LINKEDIN IS
USED
80% more often than other
social networks
IS USED
Likelihood of getting a meeting with the IT Committee
increases as vendors engage with this audience on LinkedIn
27 Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013
# of types of engagement with vendor on LinkedIn before purchase
0%
25%
50%
NONE 2+ TYPES
Met with the vendor in person Received a demo
Attended a webinar from vendor Did a live chat with vendor
Pre-Purchase Vendor Engagement by
# of Types of Engagement on LinkedIn
Vendors who interact with the IT Committee at a high rate are
more likely to create promoters
28
Engagement on LinkedIn Prior To Purchase
Vendor Net Promoter Score
24
NONE
45
2+ TYPES
Source: commissioned study conducted by comScore in the UK on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013
Engage the IT Committee everywhere they learn
29
FEED
MOBILE
GROUPS
INMAIL
Earn leads and build relationships with content
30
SLIDESHARE CHANNEL
SPONSORED UPDATES
SLIDESHARE CONTENT ADS
PERSONALIZED INSIGHTS VIA API
Implications for IT Marketers
31
01
02
03
04
Target more than IT functions in your campaigns.
Ensure your content is authentic, valuable, timely, and customised by decision stage and seniority.
Start earning leads via social in addition to buying leads.
Focus on building relationships to get on the short list.
Begin tracking how often and for what clients you make the short list. 05