Survey asks 300 IT chiefs how they prefer to access news and info

Most company IT bosses prefer to get their technology news and info, including news from IT companies, via online publications and blogs, with print magazines playing less of a role. They are also adopting Twitter and LinkedIn to stay updated on IT industry developments.  

The findings come from an independent survey of 300 IT decision makers in UK companies commissioned by technology PR agency, CloudNine PR. 

64 per cent of the IT heads questioned in the poll said they find online publications ‘useful’ or ‘very useful’ for keeping themselves updated on IT industry developments, including news from IT companies. This places online media in top spot in the list (see below) of IT chiefs’ preferred technology news and information sources compiled by CloudNine.

Second came independent IT blogs, scoring 52 per cent, with print publications (47 per cent) taking fourth place.

What methods do UK IT chiefs find ‘useful’ or ‘very useful’ for keeping up-to-date on IT industry developments, including general news from vendors? 

 (Based on an independent survey of 300 UK IT decisionmakers commissioned by CloudNine PR)

Interestingly, one in five (20 per cent) of the sample, which included CIOs, IT directors and IT managers, finds Twitter useful or very useful for keeping abreast of IT news and developments.  And LinkedIn, which is the more longstanding and business focused networking site, ranked even higher with a score of 30 per cent.

Uday Radia, MD at CloudNine PR, highlights several useful findings for technology PRs and marketers:

“It might surprise some people to notice that more IT chiefs now value online publications than print. After all, it wasn’t long ago that it was considered a bigger result by PRs and marketers to get their information covered in the weekly or monthly IT print mags than their online counterparts.

“And the fact that independent IT blogs are now so influential may present a challenge. Many bloggers will not tolerate poorly targeted marketing approaches. And you have to respect that some of them just don’t want to be pitched by companies.  There’s a lot of research and thinking involved before you approach a blogger.”

When it comes to social networking sites and their use in technology PR and marketing, Radia said:

“Obviously many IT publications and journalists already share their content via these sites, with Twitter being one of the most popular.  But perhaps the numbers of IT bosses who said in our poll that they now access industry news and info via Twitter and LinkedIn will mean more tech PRs and marketers will adopt them for directly sharing their information  - and possibly start creating specific content that can be shared on social media.”

Despite the growing interest in online and social media, Radia emphasised that ‘face to face’ communication continues to be very important:

“Trade shows and events came in at numbers three and five in our list of ways IT bosses find useful for staying informed. It’s definitely not all about digital marketing.”    

CloudNine PR commissioned independent research specialist Vanson Bourne to conduct the survey. It consisted of a poll of IT decisionmakers, including CIOs, IT directors and IT managers in 300 UK companies.   The sample included organisations with 50 to 250 employees, 251 to 1000 employees and over 1000 employees. There was an approximately equal split of companies operating in Financial services; Manufacturing; Retail, Transport and Distribution; and Business and Professional Services.