A study highlighting the generational differences between technology buyers has revealed that some techniques will not work for everyone.
Why do generational differences matter?
The research was conducted to answer the question of what content works and for whom. Good marketers challenge the way they work and the methods they use, what could work, or did work might not be what always works. Marketing is about trying and adapting techniques and tailoring the marketing to effectively get to the end goal of having more clients and customers.
Baby boomers (1946-1964) tend to use case studies and articles by industry analysts, and as shown through their preference for face to face meetings and vendors websites: this generation simply want the facts.
Generation X-ers (1965-1977) value tradeshows and conferences as well as recommendations from peers.
The millenials (1978-1994) prefer marketing content, as they are more tech savvy which makes them more receptive to blogs and content.
As a B2B technology marketer here's what you should do
industry analysts are important to all types of people as is face to face meetings but demos are not for everyone and conferences aren't as popular some some might think. Recommendations from colleagues and the industry thought leaders seem to be preferred across all types of tech buyer. You can choose to select the methods which work best for all groups or you could target specific audiences.
By Robert Jones
Robert Jones is a specialist in CRO, UX Research, insight and digital Marketing. He is CRO Analyst at Enjoy Digital. He has a Psychology Masters of Research, has run large digital marketing campaigns to build research panels and worked in insight roles for Vision Critical, ASDA and WhatUsersDo. He also managed all of Smart Insights member resources and published several guides including "How to conduct Persona Research" as well as contributing over 100 blog posts to the Smart Insights blog. When he isn’t working on marketing campaigns he is most likely eating authentic Italian food or planning his next short trip. You can connect with Robert on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.
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