Educating the Buyer: What Resources are Buyers using?
B2B buyers consult several different source, reflecting their data-driven approach to decision-making and the depth of their research process. Marketers should create multiple pieces of content about their technology that help potential buyers conduct this extensive research.
What channels do B2B buyers trust the most when researching business challenges?
But where are buyers looking for this content as they conduct their research? Overwhelmingly, buyers report a preference for software comparison websites and product review sites.
prefer to use software comparison websites for researching business challenges
trust software comparison websites when evaluating technical requirements (46% rely on product review sites)
trust software comparison websites when shortlisting brands for a purchase decision (45% rely on product review sites)
However, it’s important to note that they are also looking to business or industry news and even vendor websites, blogs and articles. So, marketers needs to ensure the correct distribution to optimize their content and channel strategies, enabling them to better reach and influence this audience. These are the information sources that B2B buyers find most credible and trustworthy when researching and evaluating potential vendors, which can help marketers better tailor their content and outreach strategies.
NOTE: These statistics also demonstrate the growing influence of AI-powered information sources in the research and evaluation processes. So this is an important channel to watch.
E X P E R T I N S I G H T S
Liz Wood
VP of GTM and Global Demand – MOI Global
Leading departments and key growth initiatives driving measurable revenue growth and customer retention.
“The B2B tech buyer journey is indeed intricate and certainly not linear. We also know that if you aren’t on the “Day 1 List,” your likelihood of closing a deal is slim (less than 10%). The question is, how do you get on the Day 1 List and how can you accelerate that purchase decision in your favor? What I love about this piece is the focus on the increasing importance of building an integrated strategy around the complete buyer journey in B2B tech buying (even well before the point of problem recognition) as well as the necessity of speaking to and with (not at) the multiple stakeholders involved in a purchase, end approver and influencer alike. Of particular interest and the WHY:
- The volume of platforms buyers go to for professional research >> we can’t only play in the same and comfortable sandboxes anymore. Buyers are and will seek out the valuable information they need wherever they can find it. As marketers, we must acknowledge that diversity, do the research to help guide engagement strategies, and cater messaging based on how our customers want to buy, not how we want to sell.
- The importance of a strong content marketing strategy >> Create things that are worth distributing, that are relevant to the environment in which that content is placed, and that force a choice, not a competitor comparison.
- The continuous decline of cookie tracking availability >> this is huge and indicates that valuable interactions and engagements will be tracked less and less. Does this mean we walk away from what we can’t track? No. Einstein said it. “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” I think we’ll start to see a stark acceleration of GTM strategies and measurement frameworks being re-evaluated moving into 2025. Here’s to the industry being flipped on its head once again; I’m excited to be along for the ride.”
Oren Greenberg
Growth marketing Advisor for B2B SaaS + Founding Partner at Kurve
With so many buying decisions it isn’t surprising sellers are having a hard time getting access to power. Spending time running due-diligence on every purchase a team member wants would leave little time to run other key decisions regarding the business. What’s interesting with 49% of buyers considering 2 to 4 vendors, is that based on the 2024 Buyer Experience Report" by 6sense found that 81% of B2B buyers have a preferred vendor at the time of first contact, and more than 90% have prior experience with at least one of the vendors they considered.
There’s a lot of research backing up what respondents said regarding Brand recognition and engagement, and it’s influence on decision making. I’m not surprised 41% of B2B tech buyers agree that they struggle to find trustworthy online information about technology solutions. The majority of B2B tech solutions are niche - and as such don’t lend to enough (helpful) content being produced about them. With 4-6 sources of information used when researching a purchase, it’s clear that both AI and search which are both powered by blog posts & website articles are here to stay and are worth investing in. Same with aggregators like G2 & Capterra. It's funny that Gen AI outranks Vendors sites & blogs/articles as that's the primary source of B2B content Gen Ai draws on. This shows people don't understand how Gen AI works.
I’m also not surprised that B2B buyers are increasingly selective about the brands they share their personal information with. With the onslaught of forms with automated email nurture sequences & SDR outreach, there’s a growing reluctance unless the offer is from a credible brand.
The question on personalisation hides some nuance. What buyers want is relevance, personalisation without context that’s specific to them isn’t helpful.
Content Consumption
Among the many types of content buyers consumer, some specific platforms and types of content stand out:
Notably, LinkedIn is the dominant social platform with 74% of B2B buyers using the site. However, over half also use Facebook and YouTube (with nearly half using X).
Webinar vs. Podcast engagement
Although buyers tend to prefer webinars as an effective engagement tool, a sizable portion engage with both or prefer podcasts. B2B marketers should consider this split in preferences when allocating resources.
are more likely to engage with webinars
engage with both equally
prefer podcasts
Vendor evaluation
When it comes time to evaluate a shortlisted vendor, buyers tend to prefer content more specific to the technology itself.
Vendors should ensure they provide comprehensive product details, compelling case studies, competitive comparisons, and transparent pricing to address the needs of this influential audience.
NOTE: However, B2B buyers are increasingly selective about the brands they share their personal information with. Over half (52%) of respondents expressed a preference for providing their details only to brands they know and trust. This underscores the need to create trust and engagement through content personalization and lead capture for B2B marketers.
More than half (51%) of decision-makers want a high or very high level of personalization when evaluating B2B purchases.
Key Takeaway
A significant majority (91%) of B2B buyers expect at least some level of personalization during the purchasing process. Therefore, B2B marketers should prioritize personalization strategies to effectively meet the expectations and needs of their target audience. One effective tactic to achieve this is account-based marketing.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY BUSINESS?
Buyers are stating that software comparison websites and Linkedin are among the trusted sources they use to research potential vendors. As you plan your buyer marketing, make sure that these channels are included for. Educating the buyer about your brand in the channels where they are in ‘research mode‘ is critical for your message to be well received. Ensure that messaging in market is vertical- specific when targeting key industry verticals. Ensure the marketing message addresses the pain points specific to your prospect’s industry, highlighting how your service solves industry-wide challenges.
E X P E R T I N S I G H T S
Tal Baker-Phillips
Sales Leader - lemlist
“Case studies being important reflects two things - buyer’s lack of trust and buyer’s selfishness. “Is this product actually as good as they say it is?” And “Will this product actually work for me/my company?” Are the questions being answered. If you can get as many different case studies in as many different industries, use cases, scenarios, you’re on to a winner. If I had a euro every time someone asked me ‘Hey Tal does lemlist work for X industry prospecting Y ICP in Z geography…” I’d be retired on a boat in the south of France by now. When it comes to 91% of buyers expecting personalization… Hmmm they think they do, I think what they want is relevance, not personalisation. They don’t want the buyer to know what colour t-shirt they’re wearing + what they’re star sign is, they want to know that the product they’re about to buy is actually going to solve the problem they’re facing without any subsequent problems appearing down the line. Relevance beats personalisation every day of the week. A good example is sharing a relevant case study of that buyer’s industry vs a random vague one that doesn’t apply. That’s 10x more valuable than “Hey Elon noticed Tesla just raised exactly $235 billion dollars last Wednesday and that in an interview you personally said it was like a dream come true! Anyway, here’s a huge paragraph talking about how great my product is…”
Stefanie Hinten-Reed
VP Client Services at Just Global - B2B Tech Marketing Leader, ABM Strategist and Content Champion
With full-funnel solutions from brand to demand to ABM, Just Global deliver services across strategy, media, creative, content and analytics to break down marketing silos. This integration drives performance to achieve and exceed objectives.
The agency is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices and service hubs around the world to deliver truly integrated and global marketing solutions for Enterprise B2B clients. Our team of B2B global specialists combines AI and human expertise to innovate at scale, personalizing and measuring every engagement.
Just Global is the current Global B2B Agency of the Year, with a vision to Reinvent B2B to deliver exceptional business results in as true partners to customers.
Visit www.justglobal.com for more information.
"What’s interesting about the research findings is that while they may not seem entirely new, they significantly bolster the notion that the traditional B2B Marketing playbook requires reform. With B2B Tech buyers’ decision-making cycles spanning months or over a year, long-term strategies for relationship building are key. However, what’s even more critical is recognising that the buyer controls their journey. The belief that buyers work through a linear set of ‘gates’ or are ready to buy when a brand dictates is clearly outdated. A telling stat from the report reveals that nearly half of B2B buyers (49%) are actively engaging with content on-demand, which supports the shift away from rigid, brand-controlled sales funnels. If you believe that, 95% of customers are not actively in the market marketing’s role becomes one of creating resonance, building brand equity, and ensuring content is readily available when buyers seek it. By focusing on producing the right kind of content, when audiences are in market to buy, the decision who to buy from is a simple uplift. This brings us to content creation itself. Buyers increasingly value educational materials and actionable insights. especially since nearly half (49%) of buyers expect personalized outreach after engaging with educational content. Add to that the increasing number of people involved in the buying committee (economic, functional and technical) and the fact that buyers are directing their own (digital) journeys, the need for creating a variety of content and touchpoints that keep the brand top of mind throughout the decision process is key. But not all content produced is equal. According to the report, 45% of B2B buyers are seeking thought leadership content from vendors to aid their decision-making, indicating a clear preference for insights that provide value beyond product details and promotional material. Yet we all know B2B content has a long way to go to focus genuinely on what helps the buyer. According to the Trust Index survey in 2023, 71% of decision-makers are often or sometimes disappointed with the quality of B2B gated content (never mind ungated!). Add to that the fact that the average person reviews two to five pieces of content before making any decisions, there has never been a greater need for high-quality content in the market. And with that challenge comes of course the opportunity; the brand that focuses on audience led content that genuinely helps the buyer will win the fight for share of mind across these extended buying cycles. A final point worth mentioning is the rising importance of peer-generated content. With buyers self-directing much of their content consumption, a lot of the buyer journey is becoming invisible to marketers and with that the opportunity to influence. As the report notes, 44% of B2B buyers trust impartial, third-party content more than vendor-provided information, and peer reviews and case studies are becoming more influential in decision-making. This growing reliance on social proof highlights the need for marketers to prioritise customer testimonials, reviews, and peer recommendations to foster trust and influence purchasing decisions."