Editor's Note: This is the third post in a five-part series that discusses key trends in tech marketing. It is based on the APAC edition of the Age of Agility, a research report that LinkedIn produced after conducting one of the world’s largest research surveys of B2B technology buying and decision-making. Country reports for Australia & New Zealand, India and Singapore are also available now.
‘Give your buyer what they want’ is a great piece of advice… except it’s easier said than done when marketing in the Age of Agility. Our research reveals that technology buyers today crave the innovation and flexibility of challenger brands and the reliability of working with well-known and experienced vendors.
So, what’s a tech marketer to do?
We need to understand what makes or breaks a deal for our tech buyers today.
Innovation or stability? Affordability or support? Tech buyers across APAC are spoilt for choice as they weigh their options against ever-evolving business priorities. Having insights into the deal-makers and deal-breakers can be immensely powerful in getting our marketing messages just right.
However, unless we’re investing in an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy, it may not be practical to deep-dive into the specifics of each account. In that case, the following top-line research findings can be quite useful.
When we surveyed decision-makers on what they consider to be the most important factor when selecting a new vendor, price was unsurprisingly ranked #1. This is understandable, given the current economic climate.
Price aside, however, we found three other factors that consistently topped the charts:
- Availability of products and features that match buyers’ needs (#2 in APAC, ANZ & SG; #3 in India)
- Post-sale support (#3 in APAC, ANZ & SG; #2 in India)
- Versatility & flexibility of the solution (#4 in APAC & ANZ; #5 in SG; #6 in India)
Value and reliability can be effective counterpoints to uncertainty.
Reliability is, and always will be, an attractive quality to tech buyers, more so in today’s uncertain environment. Across APAC, we found that a majority of decision-makers (77%) seek vendors who can demonstrate deep knowledge and experience. Being dependable isn’t quite enough on its own, however, not when two in three decision-makers (65%) hesitate to try a new vendor.
So, what would disrupt the status quo and motivate buyers to explore new options? For nearly half ofthe decision-makers we surveyed, it boils down to four factors:
- Showcase greater brand and/or product innovativeness
- Prove how flexible we are about customising our offerings
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of our buyers’ needs
- Offer to solve business needs that well-known brands struggle with
For more research insights into the B2B technology buying and decision-making process in APAC, get your copy of the full report:
- The Age of Agility: APAC Edition
- The Age of Agility: Australia & New Zealand Edition
- The Age of Agility: India Edition
- The Age of Agility: Singapore Edition
For more APAC marketing insights, subscribe to the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Blog.
