Seven Ways to Target B-to-B Technical Buyers

Identifying technical buyers is only part of the equation; marketing to them is the tricky part. In a webinar presentation last week from Kellysearch.com and Enquiro Research, presenters Gord Hotchkiss, president and CEO of Enquiro, and Phil Manning, marketing development manager at Kellysearch.com, provided their thoughts on how to most effectively market and sell to the B-to-B community. Below are some of the top tips picked up during the session.

1. Segment the technical buyer. Manning referenced the technical buyer as an individual who’s planning to make a purchase of $1,000 or more in the next year of one of the following: software, hardware, supplies, business services, equipment, and parts and components. He further classified the technical buyer into one of four groups:

* Economic: These buyers generally are upper management looking for the best price and what’s in the best interest of the company in the big picture; they have control over the budget and veto power on purchases; often their time is tight and they’re too busy for product details.

* Technical: These buyers are integral to the buying process because their opinion and recommendations go to those making the financial decision, but they have no financial authority to make purchases.

* User: These buyers work regularly with the product or service, and can sway decision makers with recommendations.

* Coach: These buyers could be CEOs, presidents, vice presidents or other management positions, but generally are never in more than one role at a time.

2. Focus on their intent. Know why they go to the search engine in the first place, Hotchkiss said. He noted that early in the buying cycle, technical buyers often focus on organic search results. But as they move through the buying stages, they tend to shift to the purchased, sponsored links. Determine which search terms are driving the most quality traffic to your site, and consider investing in placement for those keywords.