Prospective buyers of marketing technologies rank demos, test drives, and self-driven online research as the most valuable methods for evaluating products/services, according to a recent report from Target Marketing, NAPCO Research, and IBM.
The report was based on data from a survey of 315 businesspeople who are involved in the purchase process of marketing technologies (email platforms, CRMs, social media tools, etc.) for their firms. Some 45% of respondents work for B2B companies, 18% work for B2C companies, and 37% for hybrid companies.
Respondents gave demos, test drives, and self-driven online research the most "extremely valuable" ratings when asked to assess various methods for evaluating marketing technologies.
Independent technology news/articles/comparisons, product testing reports, and peer/online recommendations received the most "very valuable" ratings.
The evaluation methods rated the least valuable were site visits with vendors, visits with successful clients, and user conferences.
Respondents say the departments/individuals most involved in martech purchase decisions are Marketing (78% say it is involved/consulted), executives (70%), and IT (53%).
Potential buyers say the most effective methods for communicating with martech vendors are email (73% say it enables informed decision-making) and phone conversations (72%).
About the research: The report was based on data from a survey among 315 businesspeople who are involved in the purchase process of marketing technologies (email platforms, CRMs, social media tools, etc.) for their firms. Some 45% of respondents work for B2B companies, 18% work for B2C companies, and 37% for hybrid companies.
