Millennial Engineers Don’t Consume Content the Same Old Way – Survey

 

Marketers have fine-tuned their campaigns to reach decision makers – often those engineers in their 40’s or older.  But many are now asking how to reach those engineers who influence decisions rather than having only the ones who have the final say.

Why do engineering marketers want to reach influencers?  It’s because these engineers play a critical role in purchase decisions.  They consume vast amounts of content as part of their jobs.  They play the role of providing the short list of potential solutions. These engineers are often earlier in their careers, and they don’t find information the same way as their older colleagues.

Earlier this month we surveyed over 1,000 engineers about their information habits.  You can see the full results in a webinar on Wednesday October 5^th at 2:00 Eastern, so please sign up.

Here’s one of the many interesting findings.

There is a very strong correlation between the age of the engineer and the device they use to consume engineering information: 

 

Survey: Which of the following devices have you used to access engineering news and information in the last month? [check all that apply]

 

I love these curves because they show remarkably clear survey results:

1. Older engineers (the oldest age category represents those born in the 1940’s or earlier) make extensive use of computers and laptops.
2. The younger an engineer is, the more likely they are to use their smartphone to consume engineering content, topping out at 40% among those born in the 1990s.
3. Tablets are more heavily used among mid-career and older engineers, perhaps because tablets are an expensive discretionary purchase.

Last week at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago I spoke with a marketer who confessed that hardly any of their content was mobile-friendly. In fact, none of their data sheets are.  “Egad”, I said. (Nobody actually says that, so confession here, I just thought it.) Not having mobile-friendly content is becoming a huge limiting factor in a marketer’s ability to get their content in front of the right target audience.

I will share more results from this survey over the coming weeks, including more about age groups and job roles, including what devices CXOs use.   

Stay tuned, or sign up for the webinar on October 5^th.  Thanks to the 40 of you who have signed up already. Please invite your colleagues.

Best,

John