become a tech marketing gold medalist for your data center hardware buyers
TRANSCRIPT
MILE
26.2+1
But often, slow and steady wins the race — as is the case when marketing to buyers of Data Center hardware.If you’re with them during each stride, your odds of
winning the gold will improve significantly.
BECOME ATECH MARKETING
FOR YOUR HARDWAREFOR DATA CENTER
BUYERS
Marketing to the tech buyingcommittee is a marathon, not a sprint.
GOLD MEDALIST
Servers
68%
YOUR GOLD-MEDAL ROSTER:TITLES OF TOP IT BUYERS
GOING FOR GOLD:TODAY’S MOST SOUGHT AFTER
HARDWARE PRODUCTS
Interaction with your brand is high throughout thebuying process, but you’ll want to break from the packwhen you hit the Vendor Selection, Hardware Management and Renewal stages.
Buying stages are evenly paced,and each one takes about
4–6 months.
Storage
64%Routers
49%
Switches
45%Racks
36%
Power andCooling
31%
Fewer than 1 in 5 companiesare considering new vendors.
LIGHTING THE TORCH:HOW DO YOU COME OUT A CHAMPION?
GOING THE EXTRA MILE:WHAT ELSE MATTERS TO
HARDWARE PURCHASERS?
STAYING AHEADDURING EACH LEG OF THE
DATA CENTER HARDWARE RACE
A specialized subset of buyers.
Unlike other technologies where different businessfunctions take on leadership roles throughout the buying
process, this committee is led by IT, Engineeringand Operations during key buying stages.
Highly advanced,technical content wins.
Demonstrateexpertise and
a thorough understanding of
your customer’s business model.
THE DATA CENTER PURCHASE PATHIT’S A STEADY BUT COMPETITIVE RACE
WHO IS ON YOUR GOLD-MEDAL TEAM(A.K.A. THE BUYING COMMITTEE)?
NEEDS STAGE FOCUS:Cost, reliability, speed and storage. Gold Medal Tip:Share proof of credibility, motivatinguse cases and positive peer reviews
BUYER’S NEEDS AND SPEC ANALYSIS STAGE FOCUS:Pricing is by far the most important. Gold Medal Tip:Conferences and events make animpact at this stage only.
HARDWARE SELECTION STAGE FOCUS:Most intense stage for communication. Gold Medal Tip:Vendor websites are the mostimportant at this stage (69%!)
TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION STAGE FOCUS:A smooth implementation is critical.Gold Medal Tip:Buyers want specific content on storage,reliability, support and security
TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT STAGE FOCUS:Reaching out directly to sales and support. Gold Medal Tip:The buying committee stops consumingcase studies/success stories at this stage.
PURCHASE RENEWAL STAGE FOCUS:Priorities remain the same, with focus on pricing.Gold Medal Tip:New product features or hardwareupgrades will generate excitement!
Earn their trust by speaking their language and
proving your brand’s industry knowledge.
2015
IT MANAGER
2015
SYSTEMADMINISTRATOR
2015
IT COORDINATOR
2015
SENIOR NETWORKENGINEER
2015
INFRASTRUCTUREMANAGER
2015
CTO
2015
BUSINESS SYSTEMANALYST
2015
DATATECHNICIAN
1
2
3
4
5
6
Brand perceptions,above all, help
determine whomakes the
vendor short list.
Events andconferences weigh
in less whenit comes to the
buying decision.
IT is the team MVP
Make sure you have what it takes to go the distance by checking out our in-depth research e-book, “Beneath the Surface: Taking a Deeper Look at Today’s Empowered Tech Buying Process.”Go for the gold with your tech buyers!
LinkedIn Tech Research, “Beneath the Surface: Taking a Deeper Look at Today’s Empowered Tech Buying Process,” September 2015.