What do modern decision makers read?

As a communications agency that works with a lot of B2B technology clients, we cater to  brands who are keen on reaching out to their target audiences by cutting through the noise of this growing market worldwide.  B2B tech brands know what they want! They are determined to influence decision makers and ensure that their brand becomes the number one choice for certain vertical players. In doing so, they come to marketing specialists who will surely help them to run their communication campaigns that will achieve their goals. In an ideal world…

What often happens with B2B campaigns, is the deployment? of the following logic: “We need to reach out to our decision makers – CIOs, CTOs, CEOs and CMOs. They will decide whether our brand needs to be considered, and they will read about us in technology and trade magazines, daily newspapers, and TV to learn more about technology world updates. It is surely the way to go! This is how B2B world is…”

Well, this is how it was, 20 years ago!

Modern day decision makers are not necessarily 50+ years old CIOs and VPs anymore. Times have changed! Yes tech, trade and business magazines are still relevant, but brands need to get more creative and go beyond traditional media.

Let’s take an example of a small business owners and decision makers. Today’s entrepreneurs are 26 to 36 of age business owners They have human interests and they do not necessarily open a fresh issue of a daily newspaper with their coffee and cigar. These people are mobile, agile, busy, and maybe have another day job. As any millennial, they have multiple interests and crave instant gratification infotainment channels. You can surely find them working out at the gym, working remotely from a trendy coffee shop, reading online magazines and watching YouTube videos for motivation and inspiration. They don’t watch TV, but instead they are most likely subscribed to Netflix or iCflix. They go to movies, download new trending apps and are super obsessed with the Game of Thrones.

So what is the way around it? It is time to start tailoring the content to appeal to emerging audiences as decision makers’ behavior changes. They get younger and, in such a busy media environment, they will dedicate more time towards watching relevant video content and pursuing their personal interests in their spare time. This is where your brand needs to be engaging with them.

Go get creative and get relevant!