Do I Tweet, Post on Facebook or get connected on LinkedIn? All of the above!
A recent study by BtoB Magazine states that 93% of all B2B marketers engage in some form of social media marketing, with most of the focus on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Marketers favor these three social media channels, and they rank as follows, LinkedIn – 72%, Facebook – 71% and Twitter – 67%. Let’s not forget other popular channels used by marketers; YouTube, blogs and communities.
Despite being used by 67% of B2B marketers, Twitter was only the top channel for 13%, perhaps showing that Twitter is an important piece of the overall social marketing picture but not the best channel for B2B marketers to find value. According to survey participants, many marketers only see Twitter as a way to support website traffic and product/event promotions.
Challenges:
When B2B marketers were asked to identify their top three obstacles to adopting social media marketing, 70% identified a lack of resources as being the biggest obstacle. Other challenges faced by marketers include: poorly defined success metrics and key performance indicators (57%), lack of knowledge about social media (44%) and management resistance (22%).
Measurement:
One of the most interesting statistic to come out of the report is the lack of measurement by B2B marketers. About 75% of B2B marketers who conduct social marketing say they do not measure the ROI of their social marketing programs.
The Study:
This results of BtoB’s exclusive research study Emerging Trends in B-to-B Social Media Marketing: Insights From the Field focuses on how B2B marketers are leveraging social media. Conducted in March 2011 and based on the responses of 577 B2B marketers, this study not only looks at the demand for LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter but how marketers are using the unique applications to their best advantage across all marketing functions.
Does this data match your social media experience for your B2B company?
Read more: http://socialmediab2b.com/2011/04/93-of-b2b-marketers-use-social-media-marketing/#ixzz1RYDbADPR
