AProﬁleofTechTarget’s Hyper-activeITResearchers · 2016. 9. 13. · These IT professionals are purposeful researchers, with most activity being driven by their natural curiosity

October 2010

A Profile of TechTarget’sHyper-active IT Researchers:Media consumption habits of our top 30% most active users

For more research, insight and video presentations visit, www.TechTarget.com/ForMarketers

Table of Contents

Why target the top 30% most active? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Key Findings and Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Key Research Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Survey Methodology and Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Research Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

About TechTarget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Page 1 of 28A Profile of TechTarget’s Hyper-active IT Researchers, October 2010

October 2010

A Profile of TechTarget’sHyper-active IT Researchers:Media consumption habits of our top 30% most active users

Why target the top 30% most active?

• They are responsible for more than 80% of all activity in the last 6 months

• Their average activity level is nearly 3 times that of our overall membership over the

same time period

• They spend more than half their day online researching specific solutions and providers

• When they are most active, they average between 5–20 online interactions per day

• They are not “tire kickers” but purposeful researchers whose elevated activity is being

driven by a business problem that needs to be solved

• They are highly influential members of the decision-making team

• 55% are technical decision-makers

• 55% determine need for products/solutions

• They are extremely thorough and will consider any vendor that can solve their business

problem

• They are making aggressive technology investments even in the face of this recession

• 90% are investing in at least one major technology project this year

• 43% plan to take on more than 4 projects

• More than 40% have an IT budget of over $1 million


A Profile of TechTarget’s Hyper-active IT Researchers, October 2010 Page 3 of 28

Key Findings

Executive Summary

This report reveals the tabulated results of a survey representing the top 30% mostactive users within the TechTarget network. The results reported here reflect both theactual response set of the survey sample and additionally the results of severalin-depth interviews with respondents of the survey. Our comments often reflectperspectives from both sources.

It has become increasingly obvious that this segment of our audience, which we havebeen referring to as our “hyper-active users”, is a force to be reckoned with for anumber of reasons. Generally speaking, when it comes to online media consumption,they should be viewed as “movers and shakers” due to the intensity with whichthey approach online research and the frequency with which they download informa-tion from the web and, more specifically, our sites.

Of particular interest is that the in-depth interviews revealed specific nuances of this“audience within an IT audience.” In general, their personalities emerged as hugemulti-taskers who are driven by both natural curiosity and the pressures of theirbusiness environments. They identify with the term “hyper-active” because, as oneinterviewee put it: “that’s what we are.” They take responsibility for knowing moreabout new technologies and solutions to business problems and want to beforward-thinking knowledge banks for their peers and members of their buying teams.As a result, they are constantly hunting and gathering for information, sometimes at ahectic pace. However, there is a method to their madness in that they are also highlyorganized, if not structured people, with a strong bias toward filing or storinginformation as would a librarian or archivist.

Their one most interesting characteristic relates to their attitude toward the timing ofwhen they download content and the specific stage they are in related to their buyingprocess. As with previous Media Consumption Reports, they all agree that content ismost relevant to them as it relates to the stage they need it in. Yet, as hyper-activeusers, they also point out that they have such an insatiable drive for information(especially technical information), they will download and catalog information they

A Profile of TechTarget’s Hyper-active IT Researchers, October 2010

Key Findings (continued)

may not get to for a while but know they will need in a later stage. Many of theinterviewees detailed how they store the information, archiving it by topic and stagerelationship criteria, then refer to it when they get to the appropriate time in theirbuying process or specific interactions within their team.

Marketers need to consider the implications of this. It not only validates the continuedneed to map your online content to match stages, but the necessity to have allstage-related material ready simultaneously should your sponsorship of it intersectwith the “ravenous appetite” of this target audience. The reality is that if your contentis not available for them to proactively download and/or store away then whoever’sis will be chosen for the “grand catalogues” of information that these buyers areconstantly building and referring to along their purchase paths.

Page 4 of 28

These IT professionals are purposeful researchers, with most activity being drivenby their natural curiosity and a business problem that needs to be solved

• The average hyper-active buyer spends a majority of their research time onlineand averages 5–20 interactions per day

• Validating findings from the Google/TechTarget Research Project, search keywordscan be matched to specific stages of the research and/or purchasing process

• Nearly 1/3 of this sample plan to invest in 4–6 IT projects within the next year• Active IT professionals mostly value content aligned to the stage they are induring their research and/or purchasing process and that is topically andcontextually relevant

• However, in-depth interviews expose that they don’t necessarily download allmaterials in that specific stage

• 98% of IT professionals sampled cite online IT communities as an integral partof their research and/or purchase process

• IT professionals rely heavily on third-party perspective from peers, online ITcommunities, experts, and publishers when making buying decisions yet arenotably skeptical of all material at the same time

• When selecting vendors, familiarity is important, but does not solely drivepurchase decisions

• Active buyers are willing to research and consider multiple vendors within theirprocess and will communicate with vendors who fit their needs at that specifictime

Key Research Highlights


Methodology• 1,765 completed survey respondents• Fielded throughout May 2010• Online survey fielded through SurveyGizmo.com• Respondents part of opt-in IT Research Panel

Roles/titles within organization• Sr. Management: 16%• Management: 14%• Developer/Administrator: 24%• Other IT staff: 46%

Company sizes• Small: 31%• Midsized: 30%• Enterprise: 39%

IT budgets for 2010• Less than $5 million: 74%• $5 to $25 million: 13%• More than $25 million: 13%

Global breakdown• North America: 55%• Europe: 17%• Asia: 14%• Pacific: 5%• Africa: 4%• Middle East: 3%• Latin America: 3%

Top industries represented• Financial: 14%• Education: 11%• Government: 10%• Healthcare: 6%


Survey Methodology and Demographics

Page 6 of 28

Research Analysis

On average, these IT professionals have more than 9 online activities withinthe TechTarget network over a 30 day period. Because of this high activity,these IT professionals have become known as “hyper-active users”.

0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240

13 14 13

8 87 7 6

Act

iviti

es

Days


Most of these hyper-active IT professionals are aware that they are highlyactive when it comes to researching and/or purchasing a technology solutionfor their organization.

Question: Do you consider yourself an active participant regarding researching and/or

purchasing technology solutions at your organization?

92%

Yes No

8%


No new technology projects1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 10 More than 10

11%

7%8%

28%46%

53%

As seen in our past Media Consumption Surveys, the researching and/orpurchasing of a technology solution at an organization is done by a team of ITprofessionals. These IT professionals/buyers are involved in all aspects of theresearch from determining the initial need to making the final purchase decision.

Question: Which of the following best describes your responsibility regarding researching

and/or purchasing technology solutions at your organization?

While the economy is still struggling to come out of the recession, hyper-active ITprofessionals are aggressively investing in enterprise technology—up to 6 majorinternal projects over the next year.

Question: How many major internal technology projects does your organization plan to invest

in the next year?

Determine need

Technical decision-maker

Product or vendor evaluator

Member of decision-making team

Strong-influencer

Financial decision-maker

55%

55%

54%

52%

48%

11%


Business problem has created need to research and solve

Naturally curious and thorough with research

Senior management expects me to cover entire competitive set/solution landscape

Have an important project with a tight deadline

Ready to buy and narrowing short-list of vendors

No other available team members to share research responsibilities

No business drivers for my activity

Other

41%

24%

14%

9%

6%

4%

1%

1%

Although many of the hyper-active IT professionals have a personality thatmakes them naturally curious and thorough when it comes to their researchprocess, most indicated that their elevated level of activity is created by theneed to solve a business problem. An interesting point here is that there isonly a small percentage who indicated that they increased their activity whenthey were ready to buy. Much of their research is done before they evenget to this stage of the process.

Question: When actively researching and/or purchasing technology solutions for your

organization, what drives your elevated level of activity/information consumption?

30+0 to 5 5 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30

9%

9%

34% 29%19%

53%

When IT professionals are in research mode, they have up to 20 onlineinteractions per day! With such a high level of activity, it’s important to realizethat IT professionals aren’t just reading your content—they are also readingyour competitor’s, so you need to make sure that you have multiple contentpieces available to them wherever they are researching.

Question: When researching and/or purchasing technology solutions at your organization, how

many individual online interactions (i.e. read articles/visit pages on websites, download content

from vendors, click email newsletter links, etc.) do you have per day when you are most active?


0-10%

10-20%

20-30%

30-40%

40-50%

50-60%

60-70%

70-80%

80-90%

90-100%

6%

12%

13%

10%

8%

8%

11%

15%

11%

7%

Although most research is done online—taking more than 50% of any givenday—many IT professionals are also seeking out the opinion of their peersand colleagues through offline conversations and team meetings. In-depthinterviews of these IT professionals also revealed that they rely on and enjoyphone conversations and will easily call a peer to get another opinion.

Question: What percentage of your activity and time researching and/or purchasing technology

solutions for your organization is focused online?


Researching specifc solutions and providers

Identifying and researching an IT problem

No relationship between activity and buying stage

Making a vendor short-list and final purchase decision

57%

31%

7%

5%

Again as we’ve seen in past surveys, the majority of activity during theresearching and/or purchasing process is done when researching specificsolutions or technology providers (consideration stage). Also, as validatedearlier in this study, the final purchase decision (decision stage) has the leastamount of activity associated with it.

Question: In which stage of your researching and/or purchasing process for enterprise technology

solutions do you typically have the most online activity?



While IT professionals might enter into their research and/or purchaseprocess with a certain research focus, this may change because their initialresearch generally leads to searching other technologies or their businessproblem becomes even more complex. Additionally, multiple vendors are beingconsidered in this process. The IT research and/or purchase process is not alinear process, and this seems to validate that sentiment. Vendors need toalways have diverse content available in order to capitalize on this trend.

Question: When you are most active in researching and/or purchasing technology solutions

for your organization, what drives your increased level of activity/information consumption?

Page 13 of 28

Initial research led me to research associated technologies

Original business problem evolved in complexity requiring more information

Realized multiple vendors had to be considered and researched

Discovered competitive landscape to be more complex than originally believed

Other

No business drivers for activity

35%

31%

19%

9%

1%

4%



Researching specific solutions and providers


27% 55% 18%

65%

IT professionals are more receptive to branding messages earlier in theirresearch process—either later in the awareness stage but mostly earlierin the consideration stage.


solutions are you most receptive to branding messages from IT vendors?

4%39%White paper libraries

Information/resource centers

Vendor websites

Video tutorials

8%19%30%

2%43%6%

23%26%

5%35% 12%27%20%

46%

6%

2%18%27%

Somewhat less receptive Very unreceptive

No more or less receptiveSomewhat more receptiveVery receptive

IT professionals are most receptive to branding messages associated withrelevant content in white paper libraries or information/resource centers—highly focused information portals.

Question: In the following formats are you more or less receptive to branding messages from

IT vendors?


Researching specific solutions and providers


22% 48% 30%

Page 15 of 28

IT professionals are most receptive to lead generation later in their researchand/or purchase process—mostly later in the consideration stage or duringthe decision stage. This validates the sentiment that the buyer wants controlof the process and does not want to be contacted unless they are preparedto consider a vendor—no earlier.


solutions are you most receptive to completing a registration from IT vendors?



As stated previously, IT professionals are more likely to share their contactinformation— lead generation—when they are ready to short-list and makea purchase decision (decision stage). However, IT professionals are alsoreceptive to lead generation efforts if the timeline of their project is shortenedor if they are familiar with the vendor. Telephone interviews revealed that userswould prefer email first containing their interest before a phone call becausesometimes they simply are not ready.

Question: Based on the following are you more or less receptive to provide your contact

information on a registration form for IT vendors?

5%43%Urgency of project/information needs

Familiarity with vendor

When making a vendor short-list and final purchase decision

When researching specific solutions and providers

When identifying and researching an IT problem

Your role on the decision-making team

7%19%26%

4%43%7%

20%25%

6%41% 11%22%

7%

19%

10%17% 30% 17%26%

14% 31% 12%37%

43%

7%

4%21%25%

Somewhat less receptive Very unreceptive

No more or less receptiveSomewhat more receptiveVery receptive


Online IT communities (i.e. IT Knowledge Exchange, IT Toolbox)

Third-party research

Direct peer-to-peer exchanges

Case studies

Editorial content on IT publisher websites

Vendor content on vendor's own website

Vendor content on IT publisher websites

Social networking websites (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin)

26%

22%

21%

15%

7%

6%

4%

1%

During the researching and/or purchasing process, IT professionalstrust information from their peers and colleagues—be it through onlineIT communities or direct exchanges the most— along with unbiasedresearch from third-parties. Overall, they tend to be skeptical of all sourcesexcept peers, which accounts for their high download rate as well.

Question: When researching and/or purchasing technology solutions at your organization,

which type of information do you trust the most?


As we’ve seen previously, hyper-active IT professionals also favor contentthat matches the specific research stage they are in (awareness, considerationor decision). This highlights the importance of aligning your content to thestages of the IT buying process. However, in-depth interviews reveal they oftenleapfrog this process and catalog the information until the time comes whenthey need it.


what types of content are you most partial to?

Page 18 of 28

Content that matches my research stage (i.e. educational, vendor comparison, etc.)

Third-party expert content

Technology topic/title of content

Specific media type/preference (i.e. white paper, webcast, video)

Content from familiar vendors

No preference

30%

22%

16%

13%

8%

12%


Further confirming our findings from the Google/TechTarget Research Project,online search keywords used by IT professionals can be matched to a specificstage of their research and/or purchasing process. When identifying an ITproblem (awareness stage), IT professionals use search keywords aroundissues/opportunities and solutions. As they move into researching solutionsand providers (consideration stage), the keywords used focus more onsolutions. Finally, when IT professionals are making their vendor short-listand final purchase decision (decision stage), their search keywords focuson comparisons/reviews.


which of the following terms do you search around?

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%


Researching solutions andproviders

Making a vendor short-listand final purchase decision

6%

21%

36%

37%

42%46%

24%

22%

8%

32%

15%

10%

Issue/Opportunity(i.e. troubleshoot, upgrade, improve)

Brand(i.e. HP, IBM, Dell)

Comparison/Review(i.e. compare, vs., test, review)

Solution(i.e. solution, software, device)


67%

57%

39%

62%

42%

47%

61%

47%

51%

50%

50%

52%

45%

48%

47%

49%

41%

White papers

Vendor comparisons

Trial software downloads

Product literature

Customer case studies

Identifying and researching an IT problem Researching specific solutions and providers


While white papers are the most commonly used media type among ITprofessionals, vendor comparisons and trial software downloads are used themost when making a final purchase decision (decision stage). Other popularmedia types among IT professionals include product literature and customercase studies. A growing trend here is that IT professionals are looking forhigher value content that showcases proven product success earlier and moreoften in their research and/or purchase process. In-depth interviews of ITprofessionals revealed even more emphasis on the importance of vendorcomparisons as part of their researching/purchasing process.


which media types are you most partial to (choose all that apply)?

Most popular answers only showcased above. Full results displayed on the following page.


67%

57%

39%

62%

42%

47%

61%

47%

51%

50%

50%

52%

45%

48%

47%

49%

41%

30%

36%

38%

32%

29%

20%

30%

28%

20%

15%

29%

25%

15%

White papers

Vendor comparisons

Trial software downloads

Product literature

Customer case studies

Online vendor demos

Webcasts

Online videos

eBooks




which media types are you most partial to (choose all that apply)?


59%52%43%62%53%48%50%

56%50%33%

36%47%47%

41%42%38%41%34%36%31%

Online IT communities(i.e. forums, blogs, wikis)

Peers and colleagues

Search engines

IT vendor websites

Published research

IT publisher websites



The most used information sources among IT professionals are their peersand colleagues—either through online or offline conversations. Conversationsin online IT communities are used more towards the earlier stages of theresearch and/or purchase process, whereas direct peer-to-peer conversationsare generally used during the final purchase decision (decision stage).


which information sources are you most partial to (choose all that apply)?

Most popular answers only showcased above. Full results displayed on the following page.


59%52%43%62%53%48%50%

56%50%33%

36%47%47%

41%42%38%41%34%36%31%

35%36%29%

30%32%25%15%26%28%22%

19%21%29%

22%22%23%

11%10%8%

Online IT communities(i.e. forums, blogs, wikis)

Peers and colleagues

Search engines

IT vendor websites

Published research

IT publisher websites

Industry magazines

Editorial articlesand news stories

Conferences/seminars/trade shows

Information fromvalue-added resellers (VARs)

Organizations/Associations

Social networking websites




which information sources are you most partial to (choose all that apply)?


Contact vendor

Circulate information amongst team members

Visit vendor website

Look for case study references

Get peer validation through an online IT community

Gain vendor information from third-party publisher website

29%

28%

16%

12%

8%

8%

As part of their final purchase decision, IT professionals contact the vendorsin their short-list and circulate their research among their research team. Thenthe team members meet to discuss their research and compare the vendorswithin the short-list.

The buying team is an essential part of the decision process. They are doingresearch in tandem throughout the process and then bringing the researchtogether at the end in order to make a decision. Then, as a team, they go tosenior management to get buy-in before contacting a vendor.

Question: Once you have completed your online research and compiled a vendor short-list,

what is your next action in your purchase process for a technology solution for your organization?

Hear opinions from peers

Learn more about specific companies/products

Obtain third-party expert information

Look for validation from peers or experts before purchasing a solution

Enjoy posting comments or content for fun

67%

57%

55%

52%

6%

Most IT professionals are visiting online IT communities to gain unbiasedopinions from their peers or to validate their research on specificcompanies/products.

Question: What is your primary objective when visiting online IT communities (i.e. forums, blogs,

wikis) and social networking websites (choose all that apply)?

As validated earlier in this study, online IT communities are visited by ITprofessionals earlier in their research and/or purchase process when they areidentifying an IT problem (awareness stage) or researching a specific solutionor provider (consideration stage).


solutions are you most likely to visit and participate in online IT communities (i.e. forums, blogs,

wikis) and social networking websites?

30%7%

29%34%

All of the aboveMaking a vendor short-list and final purchase decision

Researching specific solutions and providersIdentifying and researching an IT problem


54% 2%44%

No value to my research processSomewhat valuableHighly valuable

Online IT communities have become one of the most popular informationsources and more than half of IT professionals that visit them are there tocontribute to the content.

Question: What is your level of participation in online IT communities (i.e. forums, blogs, wikis)

and social networking websites?

Frequently contribute content (chat, comment, post or blog)

Occasionally contribute content (chat, comment, post or blog)

Read only

8%45% 47%

65%

Again, as seen throughout this survey, the information found by IT professionalsin online IT communities is considered very valuable to their overall researchand/or purchase process.

Question: How would you rank the value of visiting online IT communities (i.e. forums, blogs,

wikis) and social networking websites when you are researching and/or purchasing technology

solutions for your organization?


TechTarget’s IT Knowledge Exchange (ITKE) and the TechRepublic Communityare the most popular online IT communities among IT professionals. LinkedInis also very popular for IT professionals to use in order to stay in touch withand build out their network of peers, colleagues, and analysts. Many ITprofessionals are also visiting specific IT user group forums.

Question: Which of the following online IT communities (i.e. forums, blogs, wikis) and social

networking websites have you visited when researching and/or purchasing a technology solution

for your organization (choose all that apply)?


TechTarget's IT Knowledge

TechRepublic Community

LinkedIn

IT Toolbox Community

YouTube

Slashdot

TechCrunchIT.com

myITforum.com

Facebook

Twitter

Reddit

Orkut

MySpace

Dzone

ReadWriteWeb Enterprise

Other

62%

60%

42%

40%

23%

19%

18%

17%

15%

12%

6%

4%

4%

4%

4%

13%


TechTarget (www.techtarget.com) (NASDAQ: TTGT) is a leading global technology media companywith more than 80 technology-specific websites, and over 9 million registered members, and morethan 10 years of ground-breaking accomplishments. Our extensive editorial and vendor-sponsoredcontent fulfills the needs of tech pros looking for in-depth coverage of technology topics throughouttheir buying process and positions us to meet the needs of technology marketers targetingqualified IT audiences.

For more questions or information about this study contact:

Marilou BarsamSVP Client ConsultingTechTarget275 Grove StreetNewton, MA [email protected]

617•431•9368

©2010 TechTarget. Inc. All rights reserved. TechTarget and the TechTarget logo are registered trademarks of TechTarget, Inc. All other trademarks are the

property of their respective owners.

About TechTarget

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AProﬁleofTechTarget’s Hyper-activeITResearchers · 2016. 9. 13. · These IT professionals are purposeful researchers, with most activity being driven by their natural curiosity