In this episode, I'm joined by Udo Bormann, Marketing Conversion Manager at Elektor, to discuss our recent research report Decoding Engineering Preferences. The research is based on a survey of over 1,200 engineers and technical professionals across Europe.
This research report provides valuable insights into the information needs and preferences of European technical buyers. In this episode, we discuss some of the highlights of the report and the surprising differences between the preferences of European technical buyers and technical buyers we surveyed in our global research.
Udo and I had a long conversation about the impact (and wariness) of Artificial Intelligence on the technical buyer as well as their search engine behavior. There's no surprise that engineers and technical buyers are thorough, and it's always a delight to see that most users we surveyed choose to go 5 pages deep into search results to find the information they need to make decisions.
Another difference between the global and European research was how high Europeans ranked trade shows. According to the report, 56% of respondents said they planned on attending an in-person industry event in 2024. Udo noted that there is a slightly different trade show "culture" in Europe. Industry events are often when deals are made.
We also touched on engineers' interactions with social media, podcasts, and advertisements.
Ultimately, our discussion concluded with the main theme of the report: Content is King. Technical buyers trust highly technical content such as easily shareable data sheets, technical publication articles, and product reviews and testimonials.
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Wendy Covey
Wendy Covey is a CEO, a technical marketing leader, author of Content Marketing, Engineered, one of The Wall Street Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in America, and she holds a Texas fishing record. She resides in a small Hill Country town southwest of Austin, Texas, where she enjoys outdoor adventures with her family.