The Social Technographics® Of Business Buyers

Laura Ramos Vice President, Principal Analyst G. Oliver Young Senior Analyst Forrester Research Patrick Tripp Product Manager, Tech Industry Consulting Using Buyer Social Behavior To Boost B2B Social Media Success

Agenda
Why we’re here today
How B2B tech buyers engage socially on the job
How knowing buyers’ behavior lets marketers set social media strategy
Enlisting Forrester’s help
Next steps

In the current economy, social media offer new ways to reach and engage hidden B2B technology buyers.
But are buyers engaging in social activity while working?
Marketers who embrace social media will outdistance competition, build community following, and boost loyalty.
We want to provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to set appropriate goals and achieve appropriate results.

Starting with social tactics spells disaster
Social media puts buyers, not marketers, in control.
“Build it, they will come” seldom works.
Web 2.0 tool choices are secondary — it is better to start with audience first.

Today’s audience: Have not yet set strategy and only experiment with social media Base: 50 Webinar attendees, responding to a pre-Webinar survey What is your current approach to social media strategy?

Forrester’s 4-step approach to set social strategy People Assess your customers’ social activities Objectives Decide what you want to accomplish Strategy Plan for how relationships with customers will change Technology Decide which social technologies to use P O S T

The Social Technographics ™ ladder Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly. Model audience propensity to use social media in business decision making/adoption activity Creators Critics Collectors Joiners Spectators Inactives Publish a blog Publish your own Web pages Upload video you created Upload audio/music you created Write articles or stories and post them Post ratings/reviews of products/services Comment on someone else’s blog Contribute to online forums Contribute to/edit articles in a wiki Use RSS feeds Add “tags” to Web pages or photos “ Vote” for Web sites online Maintain profile on a social networking site Visit social networking sites Read blogs Watch video from other users Listen to podcasts Read online forums Read customer ratings/reviews None of the above

US consumers are participating in more online social activities each year

Today’s audience: Most don’t have substantive information about customer social behavior Base: 50 Webinar attendees, responding to a pre-Webinar survey What do you know about your prospective customers and the way they participate socially online?

Agenda
Next steps

Respondents from Forrester’s recent B2B survey

Respondents from Forrester’s recent B2B survey (cont.) All respondents had influence over the technology buying process.

The Social Technographics ™ of B2B buyers: by technology category Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly.

The Social Technographics ™ of B2B buyers: by country Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly. What about “on the job” social behavior?

B2B buyers participate less socially in a work context

Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes. How B2B buyers participate socially while working: by technology category

How B2B buyers participate socially while working: by country Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes.

How B2B buyers participate socially while working: by vendor Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes.

Peers and colleagues continue to have the most impact

However impact varies with the decision-making phase

Agenda
Next steps

Today’s audience: economy makes online/ social approaches attractive How has the current economy changed your plans regarding social media? Base: 50 Webinar attendees, responding to a pre-Webinar survey

Achieving social media success depends on aligning business objectives with audience
Faster deployments at new customers
Existing customers create new business capacity
Professional services SPREADING
Deliver products faster to market
Increased loyalty, increased advocacy
Development, Product Marketing EMBRACING
Reduced support costs
Higher customer satisfaction
Less churn
Customer service, technical support SUPPORTING
Increased velocity of messages in market
Increased recommendation, promotion, advocacy
Higher trust, brand trust perception
Sales ENERGIZING
Changes in reach, impressions, brand awareness
Increased share of voice
Higher quality of responses to offers
Marketing, education TALKING
Customer insight
Improved segmentation
Reduced pain; alignment of offering with need
Research LISTENING Success metrics Functional Alignment B2B Social Objectives

Social participation profile of potential HW buyers
33-year-old female with 2-5 years in current senior IT role
5,000 person firm
Business services industry
If non-IT, more likely to be less senior than IT counterparts
Over-indexed on Creator profile
When making technology purchase decisions:
More likely to trust familiar information sources than new ones
Less likely to say that social media plays an increasingly important role than other profiles in same category

Cisco launched iPrize contest to woo innovators

What does this mean for business marketers?
Online activity changes B2B marketing practices permanently.
Social Technographics ® is one important tool for understanding buyer social behavior.
Uncovering differences in customer’s behavior while working versus personal use helps hone strategy.
Integrating traditional and online tactics is essential as the groundswell of social activity grows.

Recommendations
To integrate social media into the B2B marketing mix, start with audience, not the tactics or tools.
Understand how social behavior changes:
With different buyer segments
At different stages in the buying process
Use this insight to craft winning social strategy
Build marketing skills that leapfrog competitors after economy turns around
Build community following, participation
Involve customers and engender loyalty
Redefine B2B marketing’s mission and purpose

Agenda
Next steps

Tech Vendor Strategy and Marketing Lifecycle Plan & Develop Market & Sell Measure & Refine Strategize Forrester Best Practice & Market Insights

Why marketers enlist Forrester’s help Assurance that social marketing strategy aligns with end-user behaviors
Supply-side insights
B2B Tech Marketing research panel
Best practice interviews with leading tech vendors
5,000 vendor briefings annually
Demand side, end-user perspective
Social Technographics of B2B Buyers
Survey of 1,217 IT/Bus. professionals across multiple industries and geographies
Custom survey capabilities
Social Media Optimization
Forrester’s POST methodology
Best practice and case study library
Confidence that social marketing strategy differentiates from competitors Proven methodologies Marketer’s goal Forrester’s unique value Most importantly, the combination of all three from one firm

How Forrester helps marketers improve their social media strategies Strategy development (POST methodology) Optimizing the B2B marketing mix Measuring results Social profiling of target buyers and influencers Social media strategy components Social Media Strategy Primer (1-2 hours) Social Media Strategy Development/Enhancement (customized project) Social Media Strategy Workshop (one day) Delivery options Depth, customization and investment Engagement type *Components can be commissioned separately

How We’re Helping Clients
Large global technology and services firm looking to understand:
What are the social behaviors of their customers?
What social technologies should they be using?
What are the best practices for leveraging and implementing specific social media technologies?
A global professional association commissioned Forrester to investigate:
How to develop a social media strategy roadmap?
Partner on social media or build their own?
What are the social media profiles of their customers?

Agenda
Next steps

Next steps
Read the recent research:
Community Marketing Boosts B2B Marketing’s Value During Tough Economic Times, February 2008
How To Avoid B2B Marketing Obsolescence: Community Marketing Transforms The Marketing Role, January 2008
Making Social Media Work In B2B Marketing, October 2008
Objectives: The Key To Creating A Social Strategy: Introducing the POST Method: People, Objectives, Strategy, and Technology , October 2007
If you haven’t started, begin getting your feet wet
If you’ve already started, make sure strategies and tactics align with your customers’ social behavior and willingness to engage in community marketing.
If you’d like additional guidance, reach out to your peers, colleagues, or Forrester.

Thank you Laura Ramos Oliver Young +1 650.581.3830 + 1 650.581.3855 [email_address] [email_address] @lauraramos @oliveryoung b2bmarketingpost.com blog.strategicheading.com Patrick Tripp +1 617.613.6216 [email_address] @ptripp www.forrester.com

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The Social Technographics® Of Business Buyers

by Oliver Young on Feb 22, 2009

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