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STUDY: Search Engines, Supplier Websites and Online Catalogs Top Channels Engineers Use to Locate Product InfoALBANY, N.Y., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IEEE GlobalSpec, a prominent multimedia destination for the engineering community that provides proprietary editorial and technical content, releases its annual marquee study on digital media use in the industrial sector. The 2017 report provides insights into how engineers use digital channels to assist in their research and support decision making throughout the buying process. "Digital resources are deeply engrained in the life of an engineer," said Patrick Mahoney, president and CEO, IEEE GlobalSpec. "As a marketer, you must provide relevant, useful content about your products and services to help potential buyers lean in your direction rather than toward a competitor." According to the report, the use of mobile devices for work-related tasks has grown significantly over the past two years. Nearly 40% of respondents said they conduct product searches from their phone, up 13% from 2015. Furthermore, 61% of industrial professionals visit six or more work-related websites each week, with 50% spending six or more hours a week on the Internet for work-related purposes. Additionally, the most popular uses of social media among technical professionals are reading work-related content (36%), searching for contacts (33%) and researching suppliers (32%). The numbers from this report underscore the need for marketers to focus on branding and vsibility rather than sales and lead generation when it comes to social channels. Additional key findings on digital media use in the industrial sector:
The 2017 sample of 2,239 respondents is representative geographically, demographically, and in distribution between different company sizes. 51 percent of respondents are over 49 years old, which underscores other research that suggests the engineer population is aging. Respondent characteristics are similar to previous surveys. The top three job positions are Design Engineer (17%); Maintenance/Facilities Management (11%); and Technical Support/Services (10%). 33 percent influence $100K or more in annual spending; 52 percent influence $50K or more. Engineers surveyed represent a wide range of industries and applications, such as Engineering/Tech Design Services (11 percent), Building and Construction (7 percent), Aerospace and Defense (six percent), and Industrial Machinery/Tools & Equipment (6 percent). The complete research results are available for download at: http://bit.ly/globalspec_digital About IEEE GlobalSpec Contact: View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-search-engines-supplier-websites-and-online-catalogs-top-channels-engineers-use-to-locate-product-info-300484964.html SOURCE IEEE GlobalSpec |