The 2022 Customer Engagement Study highlights the content consumption habits and vendor engagement preferences of IT decision-makers as they navigate technology purchases. It reveals that a significant percentage of these professionals value educational content from vendors, with 74% more likely to consider a vendor who educates them throughout the decision-making process. The study also notes that 91% are willing to share information for access to valuable content, indicating a strong demand for high-quality, trustworthy resources.

1. Customer Engagement
Study 2022
Insight into the content types and vendor engagement preferences of IT
decision-makers as organizations advance their use of technology to
improve customer experiences and streamline processes.
1

2. 76%
8%
9%
4%
3%
2
Purpose and methodology
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Survey goal
To gain a better understanding of
the various types and volume of
content consumed throughout the
purchase process for major
technology products and
services. It also provides insight
into the engagement preferences
of IT decision-makers when it
comes to technology vendor
follow-up and relationships.
5%
6%
8%
8%
8%
11%
15%
21%
Retail, wholesale, distribution
Services
Healthcare
Education
Financial services
Government/non-profit
Manufacturing
Technology
Job titles
Top represented industries
Total respondents 624
Collection method Online questionnaire
Number of questions 26
Region
North America 53%
EMEA 18%
APAC 28%
Audience base CIO, Computerworld,
CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World
email invitations to audience base.
Average company size 13,696
IT leadership All survey respondents are
involved in the purchase process for major
IT or security products and services.
IT management
Executive IT
Business
management
IT professional
Other

3. Increased pressure to
provide technology
solutions for economic
disruptions.
3
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
74% are more likely to consider an IT vendor
who educates them through each stage of the
decision process.
72% report that if a vendor does not supply
educational content during research, it
negatively impacts their impression.
65% say that educating non-technical
functions within their organization requires
more educational resources from vendors.
Valuable content is essential
Technology professionals are seeking out
more information to help them meet these
business needs.
Now, more than ever, they need relevant and
reliable educational resources placed in their
paths as they explore solutions.

4. 4
Are you delivering value to your audience?
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Question: For which types of content are you willing to register /share your information with a tech vendor in order to gain access? Question: Generally speaking, how challenging do you feel it is to locate enough high-quality,
trusted information on major enterprise IT products and services to make an informed purchase decision with which you are com fortable? Question: Thinking of the work-related content that you have downloaded in the past
12 months (e.g., whitepapers, articles, reports, webcasts, podcasts, etc.), how much has ultimately provided you with actionable information?
91% 91% 48%
are willing to register for content
from a technology vendor
say it is challenging to
find high-quality content
of downloaded work-related content provided
ITDMs with value over the past 12 months

5. 1%
2%
8%
12%
32%
43%
Never
More than 2 weeks later
1-2 weeks later
4-6 days later
2-3 days later
That day
5
Consuming content within 2-3 days
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Question: How long after you register for/download a piece of content do you typically read/consume it?
1,000+ 3.6 days
<1,000 2.4 days
3 days
is the time it takes the
majority of ITDMs to
consume content

6. 6
When do ITDMs respond to vendor outreach?
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Question: Thinking of a time when you responded to outreach from a potential vendor (e.g., asked a question, requested more information, agreed to a meeting, etc.),
23%
26%
36%
37%
37%
43%
45%
50%
…made me feel like we had a one-to-one
communication
…offered a financial incentive
…offered a product demo or trial
…showed respect for my time
…reached out at the right time
…demonstrated honesty/transparency
…was knowledgeable about my business/specific
challenges
…shared valuable content or information with me
96%
of ITDMs have responded to
outreach from a potential vendor

7. 7
Willing to register for a variety of content types
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Question: For which types of content are you willing to register/share your information with a tech vendor in order to gain access?
12%
13%
17%
17%
19%
19%
20%
20%
20%
23%
23%
24%
26%
26%
27%
31%
31%
Vendor directories
Opinion columns
Buyer’s guides
ROI tool, calculator or other assessment tool
Discussions in forums/online communities/social media
How-to content/information
Feature article about trends, strategies, management
Feature article about technologies
Third-party market research
Peer presentations
Case studies
Interviews with technology experts
Analyst research
Technology news
Vendor presentations
Product demo/product literature
Product testing/reviews/opinions
91%
of IT decision-makers
are willing to share info
with a tech vendor
to gain access to
content

8. Exec. IT IT mgmt. IT prof.
Business
mgmt.
59% 60% 43% 82%
55% 60% 43% 68%
51% 62% 57% 54%
46% 36% 35% 36%
30% 36% 22% 46%
8
Information topics of interest when researching new technology
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Question: What information topics are of most interest when researching a new technology?
30%
44%
52%
55%
58%
ROI estimates
Implementing new technology vs. outsourcing
Skills/roles information needed due to technology
Pain points the technology addresses
Business value of the technology

9. 9
Event type impacts in-person vs. virtual attendance
Source: Foundry Customer Engagement Survey, 2022
Question: Have you attended the following types of industry or job-related events in the past 6-12 months, either in-person or virtual?
In-person Virtual
Breakfast meetings 45% 61%
Dinner meetings/conferences 52% 55%
Roundtable style events 37% 71%
One-day tradeshow 43% 64%
Multi-day tradeshow 41% 66%
One-day conference 46% 63%
Multi-day conference 39% 70%
Training/workshop 42% 72%
82%
have attended an in-person
job-related event in the
past 6-12 months
96%
have attended a virtual
job-related event in the
past 6-12 months

10. 10
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For more information on content marketing and lead nurture, explore our
resources on this site under marketing tools. We have additional primary
research, blogs and white papers to make you smarter about tech decision
makers, and targeted products and programs to help you reach them!