Tech brands are a social bunch. Socially savvy and active, you’ll see messages posted on social networks everywhere. But look closer at the content and it appears that very little of it is targeted at senior buyers who make or influence the purchase decisions. And that’s a HUGE missed sales opportunity!

Our latest social report analysed social conversations of IT buyers across the UK, US, France, Canada, India and Spain to reveal themes, behaviours and interests of those active on social so we could understand more about them. We uncovered a few gems that should be factored into your audience profiles and social media planning immediately.

First off, who are we talking to?

We know that social media starts with your audience. The most senior decision-making buyer is more likely to be male (ok if we are honest, not such a surprise) but they’re also likely to be younger than the rest of the board with nearly HALF of them aged between 25 and 34 years old (breaking through some of the old school assumptions then!). And this is a golden nugget indeed – they have grown up with social media and will be particular and fussy about what engages them. They are young and mobile and as a result, expect instant results with little friction.

The Tweeting CTO – what else?

Status really matters to these people, with professional standing important to two-thirds of this audience. They’re proud of their seniority too with a whopping 86% stating their high-level job titles in their Twitter bios.

But the research revealed their human side too. Although technology is a prime topic of conversation for 82% of them, incredibly half of them take to Twitter to discuss the news, politics and weather too. 23% talk about business as well.

So what does this tell us? They are a group of business-minded individuals interested in more than just the technology that forms the mainstay of their role. But there is also a blurring of their social media activity – personal and professional effortlessly blend together.

So how should we talk to them?

It’s not surprising given their high awareness of all things tech and business that 72% of senior IT people are privacy conscious; something tech brands need to bear in mind when it comes to lead generation. They are going to be very reluctant to download a whitepaper or pass on their contact details without good reason. Provide high-quality content that they trust and delivers value. Relate your content to topics you know that will resonate too; tapping into the current news for example.

For them, their key motivator is via getting to know your company better, believe it is credible and believe you’re offering them something of real value before they share any details with you. They have got to where they are by being discerning, focused and thoughtful so you need to reflect that too.

To get to know the Social CTO more, download our social report – you’ll need more than three minutes to digest it in full but it will be worth it.