ITSMA Update Helps B2B Marketers Reach the Social Buyer

Feb. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- ITSMA’s new white paper, A Tale of Two Buyers: Marketing to the B2B Social Buyer and the Traditional Buyer, shows B2B marketers how to address the ever-increasing complexities of their jobs.

ITSMA’s annual survey of purchasers of technology solutions revealed a divide between traditional buyers and an emerging segment of B2B social buyers. Digital natives, who have been raised on technology, video games, and the immediacy of the internet, are now entering the workforce and they have radically different views about work, communications, and their relationships with business peers. This has caused a business generation gap, which has made its way into the B2B technology services buying process and has given rise to the B2B social buyer.

“The B2B social buyer makes the lives of marketers significantly more complicated, because they now have two different buyers, and they must market and sell to both of them. This has big implications for the marketing mix and the marketing budget,” explained Julie Schwartz, ITSMA’s Senior Vice President of Research and Thought Leadership.

To address these complexities, ITSMA has released A Tale of Two Buyers: Marketing to the B2B Social Buyer and the Traditional Buyer, which offers insights and best practices that are based on ITSMA research. The white paper tells marketers how they can capture and hold buyers’ attention with relevant, fact-based thought leadership; proactively bring customers fresh ideas to advance their businesses; engage with customers across multiple online and offline channels in a coordinated dialogue; and collaborate with customers to solve their business problems.

“Selling to two different audiences means marketers will need to focus a lot of attention on understanding exactly who their companies are speaking to and how to engage with those buyers,” Schwartz said. “ITSMA believes an integrated on- and offline approach that focuses on gradually increasing relevance and intimacy will make the difference.”

For more information on ITSMA’s white paper A Tale of Two Buyers: Marketing to the B2B Social Buyer and the Traditional Buyer, go to http://www.itsma.com/research/how-to-manage-split-in-b2b-... or contact Julie Schwartz at jschwartz@itsma.com.

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ITSMA provides research, consulting, and training to the world’s leading technology, communications, and professional services providers.