Agenda

3. Agenda • Why we’re here today • How B2B tech buyers engage socially on the job • How knowing buyers’ behavior lets marketers set social media strategy • Enlisting Forrester’s help • Next steps

4. Why we’re here today • In the current economy, social media offer new ways to reach and engage hidden B2B technology buyers. • But are buyers engaging in social activity while working? • Marketers who embrace social media will outdistance competition, build community following, and boost loyalty. • We want to provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to set appropriate goals and achieve appropriate results.

5. Starting with social tactics spells disaster • Social mediaputs buyers, not marketers, in control. • “Build it, they will come” seldom works. • Web 2.0 tool choices are secondary — it is better to start with audience first.

6. Today’s audience: Have not yet set strategy and only experiment with social media What is your current approach to social media strategy? Base: 50 Webinar attendees, responding to a pre-Webinar survey

7. Forrester’s 4-step approach to set social strategy P O S T PeopleAssess your customers’ social activities ObjectivesDecide what you want to accomplish StrategyPlan for how relationships with customers will change TechnologyDecide which social technologies to use

8. Publish a blog Publish your own Web pages Upload video you created Upload audio/music you created Write articles or stories and post them Creators Post ratings/reviews of products/services Comment on someone else’s blog Contribute to online forums Contribute to/edit articles in a wiki Critics Use RSS feeds Add “tags” to Web pages or photos “Vote” for Web sites online Collectors Maintain profile on a social networking site Visit social networking sites Joiners Read blogs Watch video from other users Listen to podcasts Read online forums Read customer ratings/reviews Spectators None of the above Inactives The Social Technographics™ ladder Model audiencepropensity to usesocial media inbusiness decisionmaking/adoptionactivity Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly.

9. US consumers are participating in more online social activities each year

10. Today’s audience: Most don’t have substantive information about customer social behavior What do you know about your prospective customers and the way they participate socially online? Base: 50 Webinar attendees, responding to a pre-Webinar survey

11. Agenda • Why we’re here today • How B2B tech buyers engage socially on the job • How knowing buyers’ behavior lets marketers set social media strategy • Enlisting Forrester’s help • Next steps

12. Respondents from Forrester’s recent B2B survey

13. Respondents from Forrester’s recent B2B survey (cont.) All respondents had influence over the technology buying process.

14. The Social Technographics™ of B2B buyers: by technology category Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly.

15. The Social Technographics™ of B2B buyers: by country Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly. What about “on the job” social behavior?

16. B2B buyers participate less socially in a work context

17. How B2B buyers participate socially while working: by technology category Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes.

18. How B2B buyers participate socially while working: by country Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes.

19. How B2B buyers participate socially while working: by vendor Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes.

20. Peers and colleagues continue to have the most impact

21. However impact varies with the decision-making phase

22. Agenda • Why we’re here today • How B2B tech buyers engage socially on the job • How knowing buyers’ behavior lets marketers set social media strategy • Enlisting Forrester’s help • Next steps

23. Today’s audience: economy makes online/ social approaches attractive How has the current economy changed your plans regarding social media? Base: 50 Webinar attendees, responding to a pre-Webinar survey

24. Achieving social media success depends on aligning business objectives with audience

25. Social participation profile of potential HW buyers • 33-year-old female with 2-5 years in current senior IT role • 5,000 person firm • Business services industry • If non-IT, more likely to be less senior than IT counterparts • Over-indexed on Creator profile • When making technology purchase decisions: • More likely to trust familiar information sources than new ones • Less likely to say that social media plays an increasingly important role than other profiles in same category

26. Cisco launched iPrize contest to woo innovators

27. What does this mean for business marketers? • Online activity changes B2B marketing practices permanently. • Social Technographics® is one important tool for understanding buyer social behavior. • Uncovering differences in customer’s behavior while working versus personal use helps hone strategy. • Integrating traditional and online tactics is essential as the groundswell of social activity grows.

28. Recommendations • To integrate social media into the B2B marketing mix, start with audience, not the tactics or tools. • Understand how social behavior changes: • With different buyer segments • At different stages in the buying process • Use this insight to craft winning social strategy • Build marketing skills that leapfrog competitors after economy turns around • Build community following, participation • Involve customers and engender loyalty • Redefine B2B marketing’s mission and purpose

29. Agenda • Why we’re here today • How B2B tech buyers engage socially on the job • How knowing buyers’ behavior lets marketers set social media strategy • Enlisting Forrester’s help • Next steps

30. Tech Vendor Strategy and Marketing Lifecycle Strategize Plan & Develop Forrester Best Practice & Market Insights Measure & Refine Market &Sell

31. Why marketers enlist Forrester’s help Marketer’s goal Forrester’s unique value Proven methodologies Most importantly,the combination of all three from one firm • Social Media Optimization • Forrester’s POST methodology • Best practice and case study library Assurance that social marketing strategy aligns with end-user behaviors • Demand side, end-user perspective • Social Technographics of B2B Buyers • Survey of 1,217 IT/Bus. professionals across multiple industries and geographies • Custom survey capabilities Confidence that social marketing strategy differentiates from competitors • Supply-side insights • B2B Tech Marketing research panel • Best practice interviews with leading tech vendors • 5,000 vendor briefings annually

32. How Forrester helps marketers improve their social media strategies Social media strategy components Delivery options Strategy development (POST methodology) Social Media Strategy Primer (1-2 hours) Social profiling of target buyers and influencers Social Media Strategy Workshop (one day) Engagement type Optimizing the B2B marketing mix Social Media Strategy Development/Enhancement (customized project) Measuring results Depth, customization and investment *Components can be commissioned separately

33. How We’re Helping Clients • Large global technology and services firm looking to understand: • What are the social behaviors of their customers? • What social technologies should they be using? • What are the best practices for leveraging and implementing specific social media technologies? • A global professional association commissioned Forrester to investigate: • How to develop a social media strategy roadmap? • Partner on social media or build their own? • What are the social media profiles of their customers?

34. Agenda • Why we’re here today • How B2B tech buyers engage socially on the job • How knowing buyers’ behavior lets marketers set social media strategy • Enlisting Forrester’s help • Next steps

35. Next steps • Read the recent research: • Community Marketing Boosts B2B Marketing’s Value During Tough Economic Times, February 2008 • How To Avoid B2B Marketing Obsolescence: Community Marketing Transforms The Marketing Role, January 2008 • Making Social Media Work In B2B Marketing, October 2008 • Objectives: The Key To Creating A Social Strategy: Introducing the POST Method: People, Objectives, Strategy, and Technology, October 2007 • If you haven’t started, begin getting your feet wet • If you’ve already started, make sure strategies and tactics align with your customers’ social behavior and willingness to engage in community marketing. • If you’d like additional guidance, reach out to your peers, colleagues, or Forrester.

36. Q & A

37. Thank you Laura Ramos Oliver Young +1 650.581.3830 + 1 650.581.3855 lramos@forrester.comoyoung@forrester.com @lauraramos @oliveryoung b2bmarketingpost.comblog.strategicheading.com Patrick Tripp +1 617.613.6216 ptripp@forrester.com @ptripp www.forrester.com