By Tedd Campbell
If you’re thinking about using white papers to market your B2B technology business but you’re not sure what buyers are looking for in a white paper, you should check out the results of a 2010 UBM TechWeb survey that delved into the content preferences of technology decision makers.
Just over a thousand people responded to the survey and the results were recently published here. (You’ll have to register to download a report.)
Here are some highlights of what the survey revealed about the white paper preferences of technology decision makers:
1. 65% read white papers to help them with their job.
2. Decision makers who read white papers claim to read them:
3. Decision makers who say they read white papers daily, weekly, or monthly:
Prefer white papers that are:
45% – 5 to 10 pages
29% – 5 pages or less
Are looking for:
75% – technical information
53% – technology news and analysis
52% – case studies
51% – industry research
46% – how-to information
Find white papers:
69% – on business/technology analyst websites
63% – on vendor websites
62% – through search engines
58% – via alerts or e-newsletters
View registration (prior to downloading a white paper) this way:
47% – prefer not to register
35% – will register, provided the content is very relevant
13% – frequently register
5% – never register
Had this kind of post-registration experience:
59% – received an e-mail from the vendor
53% – received an e-mail from the website where they downloaded the white paper
28% – received a phone call from a salesperson
17% – were not contacted
Have taken these actions after reading a white paper:
76% – shared it with a colleague
61% – visited the vendor’s website to learn more
42% – shared it with the boss
30% – contacted a vendor to learn more
28% – made a purchasing decision based on what they learned from it
Tedd Campbell is the founder and principal writer at C Worthy White Papers Inc. C Worthy develops world-class white papers for B2B technology companies and service firms that want to enhance their credibility, generate more sales leads, and serve their customers better.
