IT decision makers want custom content from tech vendors to guide purchase decisions

A new survey of over 600 IT and business decision-makers from Foundry shows that 96 percent are interested in receiving custom tailored content when they contact a tech vendor.

The most desired customizations being by industry (54 percent), technology platform(s) they already have installed at their organization (49 percent), company size (31 percent) and job responsibilities (28 percent).

Decision-makers are under greater pressure to provide technology solutions for business needs, so it's not surprising that 74 percent of ITDMs are more likely to consider an IT vendor who educates them through each stage of the decision process. A similar number of respondents (72 percent) report that if a vendor does not supply educational content during research, it negatively impacts their impression.

In addition 91 percent say it's challenging to find high-quality information, with the top reasons being due to lack of truly independent, unbiased information, too much marketing hype or empty buzzwords, and that the information is too general.

"Developing content to provide value is a significant part of how vendors can help IT leadership navigate their purchase decisions, but vendors need to understand how the role of technology continues accelerating," says Stacey Raap, marketing and research manager at Foundry. "Using appropriate channels and knowing the right time to make contact with a prospect can be a critical component of having a positive engagement."

When asked about the type of content ITDMs rely on most throughout the purchase process, the top five are cited as product testing/reviews/opinions (49 percent), product demo/product literature (44 percent), technology news (43 percent), vendor presentations (41 percent), and analyst research (35 percent). Buyer's guides (18 percent), opinion columns (12 percent), and vendor directories (10 percent) are labeled the least relied on.

However, while91 percent of ITDMs are willing to register for content from a technology vendor, not all content is helpful as only 48 percent sat the content they've downloaded in the past year has provided them with value.

You can find out more on the Foundry site.

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