IT Buyers & Search Engines

Published by Ben | Filed under PPC, SEM / E-marketing, SEO

A recent survey by KnowledgeStorm uncovered some very interesting statistics regarding B2B buyers & search engines. The survey polled 3,000 IT buyers and marketers ans was designed to “…examine how technology buyers search for content and how marketers deliver content to them.” Key takeaways include:

• 83% of buyers actively use Google to find tech information
• 65% of IT marketers use paid search to reach IT buyers, 35% of IT buyers click on ads frequently/sometimes
• 56% search using at least 3 keywords, and generally scan AT LEAST THREE PAGES OF RESULTS
• Paid search targeting IT buyers is generally less competitive than other vertical markets - 58% of IT marketers spend less than a quarter of their budget on PPC ads

My read of this study brings me to a few conclusions. IT buyers are obviously sophisticated and thorough searchers, and are looking for relevant answers - as indicated by the number of keywords they use in results, and the number of results they’re willing to plow through to find information. Contrary to popular opinion, they’ll even click on paid search ads if they seem relevant. The challenge for IT marketers is to target the appropriate keywords. In other words, forget about category - get down to specific/granular phrases, which means you’ve got to develop specific & granular content. You’ve also got to be sophisticated with PPC to make it successful - test different messages in your ad copy, use your traffic logs and keyword research tools to continuously test new keyword phrases in your program, and follow PPC best practices - including sending visitors to specific landing pages & not your home page.