"IT buyers are sophisticated and well informed. Our survey shows that they use an average of five types of content to make a purchasing decision, with 40% of respondents using five or more content sources. To reach them at every stage of the decision-making journey, marketers need to be strategic about the variety of content they create. The results indicate that developing and promoting research-driven content, especially prior to an event, is key to engage buyers and steer them to make a purchase," said Amy Doherty, Director of Research, UBM Americas.

Content Creates a Positive Event Experience

The research shows that content – collateral, a session presentation or a technology demonstration – is the single most important factor to an IT buyer having a positive event experience. Eighty-five percent of tech professionals believe it is important for events to partner with a relevant editorial site where they can access new insights during the event and throughout the year. Lastly, 90% of respondents said they would benefit from an online summary of an event that they could refer to afterwards.

"Marketing campaigns are frequently built around content, but when it comes to events, sometimes content is an afterthought," said Laura Forer, Original Content Manager, MarketingProfs. "The research shows that shouldn't be the case as 96% of attendees look for information prior to attending an event, and 90% continue that search post-event. Effective content before, during and after an event is vital to the overall experience."

IT Buyers Know What They Want and When They Need It

Early in the process, IT buyers are interested in research about a product category, and they turn to webinars and white papers to determine business needs. Mid-way through the process they begin to refer to vendor websites and attend conferences to understand if they need a new solution or an upgrade. At the end of the buying process they want training courses, webinars and other educational content to maximize their technology investment.

IT Buyer's Top Content Choices

Webinars, research and white papers are IT buyer's top content choices.

Webinars are the most useful type of content at the early stages of the buying process. Seventy-six percent of business technology professionals have used webinars to get information for their job and 54% find an IT vendor more credible if they have heard about their products on a webinar.

Research is a highly effective form of content. Fifty-five percent of IT buyers use research reports to get information on their jobs and one-third are more likely to join a virtual event or webinar if research will be released.

Whitepapers are a valuable form of content for event marketing. Seventy-one percent say that they would like a whitepaper that covers what a vendor will be showcasing to help them prepare for an event.

The research was conducted by UBM, the analysis and report was provided by MarketingProfs. The data is based on 235 qualified IT and business respondents in North America from all sized companies.