Marketers' Misconceptions: Part 3 - "84% of Business Buyers Want News"

This is the third in a series of blogs based on research conducted by IDG Connect - and made available exclusively through Base One - into a fascinating area: the discrepancy between how marketers and prospective buyers view email communications. The findings, published this January, examine different perceptions of the drivers for engagement, intensity and open rates. Part three investigates the type of information buyers say they want...

Which grabs your attention first: 'New report published 24th March 2010', or 'Educational report from June 2009'? I think it's safe to say most people would opt for the former. Especially as rapid changes in technology, media and communication mean that all aspects of business are constantly evolving. But while it may sound obvious the research from IDG Connect shows that many marketers underestimate the need for topicality in their email communications...

What do you want in your emails?

When the question was asked: "Which of the following offer types increase the likelihood a prospective buyer will click on a link to additional information and insight", the majority of marketers (92%) ticked 'educational content' as their first choice.

For prospective buyers however, the first choice (selected by 84%), was 'news and articles'. The marketers chose 'free research reports' and 'peer best practices' as their second and third options; while prospective buyers went for 'competitive comparisons and buying guides', followed by 'promotional content'.



Fig 1 & 2: Do each of the following offer types increase the likelihood a prospective buyer will click on a link to additional information and insight?

Marketers appear to believe that buyers want generic information: educational content, research papers and peer best practices don't really have a timeframe. News, price comparisons and promotional content all have a short, well-defined lifespan. Buyers seem to be saying that first and foremost they want something current. Why should they click through for old information?

This was the final part in our blog series on marketers' misconceptions, which tackled the fundamental disconnection between the different views that buyers and marketers have of email communications. IDG Connect have done some really useful research here and I understand they will be publishing a lot more when they launch their new website on Tuesday 11th May. Have a look, there is bound to be some great insight there.


Previous posts in this series:

Marketers' Misconceptions Part 1 - "69% of Marketers Struggle to See Prospective Buyers as Individuals"

Marketers' Misconceptions: Part 2 - "90% of Marketers Don't Think Spamming is a Big Problem"


Buyersphere Report out soon: get your free copy here

A fascinating new report into B2B buyer behaviour will be published on this blog in April. The Buyersphere Report is a detailed study of the information channels used by buyers at different stages of the buying process, which reveals a number of key insights for B2B marketers. Bloggers who would like to feature the research can get an advance copy of the report by emailing me here and I will send one as soon as it is available.