We wanted to see how buyers use the internet to select vendors so we asked 500 of them. These are the results of part of our survey.

1. The Game has Changed:
How Buyers use the
Internet to Select Vendors

2. Companies
not
building
“virtual
rela4onships”
with
prospects
will
play
late
in
the
game,
if
at
all.
e
Introduction
The
Internet
has
changed
the
dynamics
between
buyers
and
sellers
from
sellers
“pushing”
their
wares
to
one
where
buyers
now
“pull”
what
appeals
to
them
in
their
own
way
and
at
their
own
pace.
To
determine
the
impact
of
the
change,
we
surveyed
500
business
people
across
industries
to
find
out
how
they
use
the
Internet
when
they
are
ready
to
buy.
The
context
of
the
research
and
this
report
applies
to
consumer
behavior
on
many
levels,
but
has
par4cular
relevance
to
the
B2B
buying
2

3. You
have
to
put
your
best
foot
forward
online
as
it’s
your
first
chance
to
make
a
good
impression.
e
Beginning with Search
Our
study
showed
that
92%
of
buyers
prefer
to
conduct
research
online
before
talking
with
sales
people.
We
found
that
the
“over
44”
crowd
are
more
likely
to
strongly
agree,
51%
versus
those
under
44
which
was
42%.
Perhaps
this
has
to
do
with
the
average
age
of
workers
in
a
posi4on
to
buy
naturally
being
higher
than
those
with
less
experience.
Internet
search
has
necessitated
a
different
sales
and
marke4ng
approach.
3

4. e
The Power of Organic Ranking
4
Quality
content
is
the
fuel
that
drives
organic
search.
It
must
be
frequent,
relevant,
accessible
and
engaging.
Marketers
have
known
for
years
now
the
importance
of
organic
search.
Our
data
showed
that
73%
of
buyers
use
organic
search
to
guide
them
to
vendor
selec4on.
We
also
found
that
men
are
more
likely
to
rely
on
organic
search
than
women
(78%
compared
to
69%).
Being
seen
on
the
first
page
of
Google
and
other
search
engines
has
become
impera4ve.
In
a
comprehensive
study
by
Marke4ngland
near
the
end
of
2014,
News
Editor
Barry
Schwartz
found
that
“on
average,
71.33%
of
searches
resulted
in
a
page
one
Google
organic
click.
Page
two
and
three
get
only
5.59%
of
the
clicks.

5. B2B
buyers
generally
shy
away
from
paid
adver4sing.
However,
it
can
s4ll
be
an
important
part
of
the
marke4ng
mix
if
managed
well.
e
Paid Advertising Challenge
5
While
paid
adver4sing
con4nues
to
play
an
important
role
in
the
B2C
marke4ng
mix,
those
using
it
for
B2B
should
analyze
its
effec4veness
carefully.
In
our
research,
74%
of
buyers
said
they
ignored
paid
ads
when
searching
for
a
vendor.
This
doesn’t
mean
26%
of
searchers
click
ads,
it
signifies
they
ignore
them
completely.
Women
are
more
likely
to
ignore
paid
ads
than
men
and
small
business
owners
are
much
more
likely
(92%)
to
ignore
paid
ads.
We
believe
many
have
come
to
view
paid
ads
with
some
weariness
as
most
of
us
do
with
adver4sing
in
general.

6. Building
awareness
through
quality
content
in
the
right
places
is
a
cri4cal
step
in
ge_ng
buyers
to
consider
you.
e
Building Awareness is Critical
Our
research
showed
that
71%
of
buyers
have
a
vendor
in
mind
before
they
even
start
searching.
This
doesn’t
mean
they
had
completely
decided
on
that
vendor,
but
it
does
signify
they
have
been
made
aware
of
the
vendor
somehow
already.
In
our
data,
58%
agree
they
had
a
vendor
in
mind,
and
13%
strongly
agreed.
Content
plays
a
cri4cal
role
in
building
awareness
and
marketers
need
to
leverage
the
trend
that
buyers
will
typically
find
three
pieces
of
content
about
a
vendor
for
every
one
they
get
directly
from
that
company.
6

7. Social
media
is
a
powerful
way
to
interact
with
poten4al
buyers
and
it
generally
drives
them
back
to
your
website,
so
that
be`er
be
good.
e
The Impact of Social Media
Social
media
is
the
current
darling
of
the
online
world.
But
many
businesses
are
struggling
to
figure
out
how
to
use
social
media.
They
believe
they
should
be
doing
it,
but
many
don’t
know
how
to
do
it
effec4vely.
This
might
suggest
that
a
good
part
of
your
marke4ng
budget
should
be
applied
to
your
social
media
efforts.
Our
data
revealed
that
on
average
32%
of
the
survey
par4cipants
connect
directly
with
others
through
social
media
when
looking
for
a
vendor.
Unsurprisingly,
it
is
those
under
44
who
are
more
likely
to
use
social
media.
Small
business
owners
however
are
also
more
social
media
aware
and
46%
will
use
social
media
when
they're
looking
for
a
vendor.
7

8. You
need
to
turn
your
website
into
a
valuable
asset
that
differen4ates
you
from
the
compe44on.
e
Comparison Shopping Continues
When
poten4al
purchasers
have
done
their
research,
they
will
be
choosing
from
a
short
list
of
poten4al
suppliers.
Our
survey
showed
that
85%
look
at
several
supplier
websites
before
making
their
choice.
If
anything,
small
business
owners
are
less
likely
to
look
at
several
sites.
Nevertheless
this
shows
it
is
important
to
show
your
compe44ve
strength
through
your
website.
It
should
be
very
clear
why
someone
should
be
buying
from
you
rather
than
from
the
compe44on.
8

9. Marke4ng
content
now
plays
a
key
role
in
building
and
maintaining
“virtual
rela4onships”
with
prospects
long
before
they
are
ready
to
buy.
e
Summary and Conclusions
There’s
no
denying
the
Internet
has
fundamentally
changed
many
aspects
of
tradi4onal
sales
and
marke4ng
models.
Although
the
transi4on
has
been
building
for
years,
there
has
been
a
sharp
accelera4on
during
the
past
few.
The
Internet
has
given
prospects
more
control
than
ever
before
over
the
buying
process
by
enabling
them
to
understand
product
features
and
how
they
can
benefit
from
a
vendor’s
solu4on.
Much
of
the
early
sales
cycle
is
now
being
circumvented
and
this
greatly
reduces
the
vendor’s
direct
interac4on
in
the
decision-­‐making
process.
9

10. e
Summary and Conclusions
10
Research,
Content
and
Thought
Leadership
Our
mission
is
to
help
B2B
technology
companies
get
found,
a`ract
and
retain
customers
with
high-­‐impact
content.
Using
research
as
the
founda4on,
we
help
you
differen4ate
and
add
value.
Services
range
from
simple
point-­‐solu4ons
to
fully
integrated
thought
leadership
programs.
For
more
informa4on,
visit
www.materialminds.com,
or
contact:
Charles
Plant
416.458.4850
cplant@materialminds.com