Dive into the personas of the technology audience and how to achieve content effectiveness with this cohort. Explore: - What content motivates technology professionals - Who they share content with and look to for thought leadership - The types of content are key to cultivating interest - What media is most engaging and effective

1. Effective content for tech pros is:
Interactive: Interactive content has
more power to convert buyers — in
fact, it converts buyers moderately or
very well 70% of the time, compared
to just 36% for passive content.
Simple: A major barrier cited by 8 in
10 ITDMs is being able to find quality
information that is not “overloaded”
with jargon and confusing wording.
We know how technology professionals engage
with content, but we don’t know:
What are their motivations?
Why do they exhibit particular activity?
Which forms of content are most useful?
OF
TAPPING INTO THE
MINDS
TECHPROFESSIONALS
TODAY’S
What Content Do Tech Professionals Prefer?
Top reasons tech professionals
engage with content on LinkedIn:
Tech professionals are most likely to engage with:
55%
Case
Studies
TIP
35%
It’s relevant to my company.
Helping tech pros do and learn
more about their jobs is key.
25%
It’s well written.
Quality matters.
26%
I like hearing from
the influencers I follow.
Thought leadership from
respectable industry leaders
is favored by tech pros.
42%
Others in my network will
find the topic appealing.
Tech pros aim to participate
in peer-to-peer discussion.
43%
Infographics
22%
eBooks
Tech pros are less likely to engage with press releases and
newsletters than their non-tech peers, so focus your content
efforts where it counts.
Accurate and Unbiased: 72% of ITDMs cite
“reliable and accurate content or information” as
being important1
and 69% point to “straightforward,
unbiased coverage” as a top characteristic.
It was straight
to the point
46% 40%
It came from a
reputable source
Our stats back this up. When asked about the last piece
of content they enjoyed reading, tech professionals said:
It was
inspirational
44%
For marketers, this means that in order to directly
appeal to tech buyers, you must:
Get to
the point
Include
key details
Have a
sense of
humor
Have a
point of
view
Tech professionals don’t always broadcast their own points of view
or offer up their own controversial opinions, but they are more
likely to actively engage with a piece of content that does.
TIP
Listen to
podcasts
(non-tech
peers 14%)
Download
white papers
(non-tech
peers 9%)
Tech professionals are also consuming media in unique ways!
Watch
webcasts
(non-tech
peers 12%)
Follow a
recognized
industry expert
(non-tech
peers 47%)
TIP
42%
It helps skill development.
Education is paramount to
tech-minded individuals.
Companies and brands that produce quality content
throughout the technology purchase journey and take
the time to cultivate a relationship with these tech
professionals will be successful in the long run!
1
Enhancing the Buyer’s Journey: Benchmarks for Content & The Buyer’s Journey. June 2014. Demand Metric
Research Corporation. 2
Content Marketing Institute. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/03/
technology-research-content-marketing/
For more insights, view “Tapping Into the Minds of Tech
Professionals, Part 1: How Tech Professionals Engage with
Content,” or subscribe to our LinkedIn Marketing Solutions blog!
of the most effective technology
marketers said in a recent survey that
their organization is in a “sophisticated
or mature phase” of content marketing.2
FUN FACT:
71%
30% 30%20% 70%
PART 02