2019工程师智能营销（英文版）_29页_2mb

2019 Smart Marketing for Engineers® Summary

Core Content

This document outlines key findings from a survey conducted by TREW Marketing and IEEE GlobalSpec, focusing on the content preferences, online behaviors, and buying processes of engineers. The survey aimed to provide actionable insights for marketers targeting technical audiences, highlighting the importance of online content, lead generation tactics, and the role of vendor websites in the decision-making process.

Main Findings

1. Content Preferences

• Preferred Content Types: Engineers primarily value datasheets, case studies, and product/how-to videos.
• Regional Differences:
  • Engineers in South America/Mexico and India/Asia/Russia place more value on case studies and search engines respectively.
  • Engineers aged under 35 and 46-55 show a higher preference for product demo/how-to videos.
• Trust in Content Sources:
  • Engineers most trust content written by engineering experts at a vendor company.
  • They also trust industry analysts and magazine editors.
• Newsletter Subscriptions:
  • Most engineers (nearly 50%) subscribe to two to three e-newsletters.
  • Younger engineers tend to subscribe to fewer newsletters than older ones.
  • Engineers in India/Asia/Russia are less likely to complete lead form fields beyond work email address.

2. Online Search Behavior

• Search Depth:
  • Over half (54%) of engineers go three pages or deeper when researching online.
  • 20% go five or more pages deep.
• Regional Variations:
  • Engineers in India/Asia/Russia search through the fewest pages (52% go 1-2 pages deep).
  • Engineers in South America/Mexico are more likely to go five or more pages deep (32%).
  • In U.S./Canada, nearly four times more engineers go four pages or deeper (24%).

3. Buying Process and Online Engagement

• Online Involvement:
  • 60% of engineers complete more than half of the buying process online.
  • India/Asia/Russia engineers have the highest online involvement (52% indicate over 70% of the process is online).
  • U.S./Canada engineers have the shortest buying cycle (50% report 0-3 months).
• Activities Performed Online:
  • Engineers perform many activities online, including topic research (97%), vendor qualification (87%), and shortlist narrowing (79%).
• Interactions with Vendors:
  • 52% of engineers have three to four interactions with vendors before direct contact.
  • South America/Mexico engineers have more interactions (74%) compared to others.
  • Engineers under 45 are more likely to have three to four interactions (60% and 57%).

4. Lead Form Completion

• Most Completed Fields:
  • Work email address (74%), company (63%), first name (57%), and last name (51%).
• Least Completed Fields:
  • Purchase time frame (12%) and mobile phone number (14%).
• Regional Trends:
  • Engineers in India/Asia/Russia are less likely to complete any fields beyond work email address.

5. Vendor Website Perception

• Impact on Credibility:
  • 52% of engineers believe a company's website has a considerable impact on their perception of the vendor as credible and technically competent.
• Expectations for Response Time:
  • 44% expect to be contacted within 24 hours after completing a form.
  • 27% expect contact within 48 hours.
  • Younger engineers (25-35) have higher expectations (82% expect contact within 48 hours).

Key Information

• Survey Methodology:
  • Conducted in July 2018.
  • Targeted technical professionals globally.
  • 354 completed surveys were included after filtering out disqualifying responses.
  • Europe and the Middle East/Africa had poor response rates and were excluded from analysis.
• Respondent Demographics:
  • 50% of companies were small (under 100 employees).
  • 25% were mid-size (100-1,000 employees).
  • 25% were large (over 1,000 employees).
• Decision-Making Roles:
  • 22% of engineers in 56-65 age group were sole decision-makers.
  • 35% of engineers in small companies were sole decision-makers.
  • 55% of engineers in large companies were part of a group decision.

Conclusion

The survey emphasizes the critical role of online content and vendor websites in the engineering buying process. Marketers should prioritize regular content updates, user-friendly lead forms, and timely follow-up to effectively engage with engineers. Additionally, understanding regional and age-related preferences is essential for tailoring marketing strategies to different technical audiences.