Table 4

The buyers' information needs, value drivers and supporting content marketing practices

Buyers' identified needsValue driversProposed solutionsExample citation
Creating new demandLatent customer needsPublication of new ideas, success stories and customer testimonials“I am interested in the kind of story where someone was successful”. (Purchasing manager)
“Sharing up-to-date information and that kind of things interest me always. Not particularly the trivial knowledge but up-to-date business issues like new services and such things”. (Consultant)
Demonstrating value propositionCompany-generated value propositionEvaluation or modelling tool“It is very difficult when the products have no price, as they are contract prices. I have no idea what you can get with 10,000 euros. I wish there was a modelling program, by which you could examine what you can get with a sum of x”. (Director)
Ensuring realization of customer valueCustomer perceived valuePlanning tool“I mean a planning software type solution. You click what you want from it, and you see directly how much it costs and whether it is available”. (Supply manager)
Communicating market developmentMarket knowledgePublication of market and trend analyses“Communication of expertise contents, which is produced objectively and neutrally and which can be of benefit to the whole branch. I would be happy to read articles about current issues”. (Property manager)
“Interesting articles come there (in the net) plus you must always foresee where the business is going”. (Purchasing manager)
Increasing understanding about new products or servicesProduct or service informationVideos, service descriptions and portfolios“Enterprises have sent short video clips of the products that I am interested in. You can quickly check and see their strengths”. (Quality expert)
“Generic service descriptions, service portfolio and what you can get from them in general”. (Property manager)
“Video clips, it is much nicer to watch a ten seconds clip than to read a long blog”. (Administrative and finance manager)
“People go to the homepage in order to find out two things: how does the service work and in which area does it work?” (Purchasing manager)
Sharing basic informationContact and pricing informationContact and pricing information“Sometimes it is hard to find an e-mail address and also filling the form takes two or three times longer than sending an e-mail”. (Head of department)
“Contact information must be easily perceived”. (Development manager)
“These are the points, how can you contact people and the contact information”. (Purchasing manager)
Enhancing direct communicationDyadic online communicationInteraction via face-to-face meetings or live chats“Live contact with people is surely the most important thing, especially in the purchases regarding technology. You must understand what people need; it is not just one or two line on the paper”. (Supply manager)
“The ease, if we talk about digitalization, a chat is an excellent means”. (Purchasing manager)

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