The What and Where of vendor content

We’ve just surveyed 100 senior IT managers in UK enterprises. One of the topics was how vendors can improve the content they offer; another was where enterprise IT buyers find it most convenient to seek out vendor content.

Why these? Because when we ask these same people their stance on the following statement: "With so many sources and channels of information available it is now easier to find trustworthy/credible industry information" we get very mixed results, and the trend is negative. In 2010 50% signed up to the view that good content is easier to find; in July 2011, that number has gone down to only 39%.

So what’s going on here? Is this a communication channel issue, a content issue, or both? Hence the new questions about the quality of vendor content and IT buyers’ platform preferences.

Here’s what we found. Firstly, looking at communications channels there is a distinct hierarchy of preference, with "websites/microsites" at the top, "social media updates" at the bottom, with several manifestations of the digital age – webinars, podcasts, forums, blogs (oops) enjoying decidedly mediocre ratings. Making a surprise re-entry high in the chart are events, seminars, exhibitions, with print magazines doggedly refusing to fade from IT buyers’ affections. Do we need to reassess content platform strategy in the light of all this? You can see all the gory detail by clicking on the slideshare link at the foot.

If making adjustments to the platform focus is straightforward, perhaps figuring out content strategy is harder work. Two factors come out of our research – firstly we see that the value of certain types of content/information waxes and wanes through the buying cycle. Not a shock, but it’s instructive to see how that unfolds and to acknowledge what information inputs we can and can’t control as the buying cycle plays out. Secondly we see what enterprise buyers want more of from vendors. We have long said that they live in a silo, quarantined from exposure to what others like them are doing, how they are dealing with the issues they themselves face. Our new research seems to back this up - half say they want vendors to provide benchmarking and comparison tools and a similar number say they want more independent research and opinion. They might be submerged but they are desperate for a periscope. At the other end of the scale only 22% say "bring me more technical/product information"

Again all this is available on Slideshare via the link below.

Please take a look at the results in full, share with friends; we’d love to get your feedback - does this chime with your own experience?

Links to survey findings: