BREAKDOWN

 

Based on 622 survey respondents representative of the true b2b market

• What are the latest emerging trends in social media in b2b markets?
• How is LinkedIn vs. Twitter vs. Facebook vs. YouTube being used?
• What percent of the average marketing budget is allocated to social media marketing?
• What are the demand curves of b2b social media marketing by technology?

Key Findings Include:

• How long does it take a b2b marketer to be effective with LinkedIn? Facebook? Twitter? Blogging?
• Which social media platform is best suited to branding? Listening? Promoting?
• What are the adoption rates of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and blogging in the b2b space?
• What percent of the average b2b marketing budget is allocated to social media marketing?
• What are the 3 the most popular tools to monitor the effectiveness of social media marketing?

DATA POINTS

 

Readers of B-to-B State of Email Marketing: Best Practices will learn:

• The single most important social site to b2b marketers
• The social media platforms that are best suited to specific marketing needs (i.e. branding, promotion, listening, etc.
• B2b marketing budgets for social media marketing
• The integration of social media with other marketing channels.

Prepare to be redirected!

This page is the 2012 Social Media report. It will automatically redirect to the 2013 edition. If it does not redirect, click here.

These are the results of BtoB's exclusive research study that focuses on how b2b marketers are leveraging social media. Social media is now mainstream, no longer a niche channel. This study not only looks at the demand for LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and others but how marketers are using the unique applications of each to their best advantage across all marketing functions. All findings are based on research representative of the true population of b2b marketers.

This reports includes 42 pages and over 38 charts and graphs that are based on the 622 responses from b2b marketers. Readers of this research will learn:

• The adoption curve of social media … you'll be surprised to learn how much demand is untapped.
• The different applications, from branding, to listening, to promoting, depending on which social media is used.
• The typical percentage of a marketing budget allocated to social media marketing.
• The average time it takes a marketer to become proficient in social media. Faster than you think.
• Metrics. Most social media marketing is unmeasured … find-out how metrics will be a game-changer for the industry.

This research will help marketers budget, plan and execute social media based campaigns in the coming year.

Social Media Marketing at a Glance

Here is one example of the more than 30 charts and graphs that tells the social media marketer exactly why social media marketing is a resounding success. You will find-out how social media applies to the various specific stages along the sales funnel, and which platforms are best to use and why.

Excerpts from “B2B Social Media Marketing: A Surge in Adoption” Marketing Research Report

On User Preferences

Survey item: Which of the following social media methods does your company currently use for your b-to-b marketing (i.e., not personal use)?

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are virtually tied as the most used social media channels by b2b marketers, who were asked to choose all that apply. These are followed by YouTube, blogging, customer communities, Flickr, Digg,  Stumbleupon and Tumblr as favorite social channels.

While most marketers engaged in social media are using a combination of several channels, there are clear preferences. When b2b marketers were asked to choose the one most important method that they use for their social outreach (see chart above), LinkedIn was the clear leader, chosen by 30% of respondents. Following it were Facebook (20%), blogging (19%), Twitter (16%) and YouTube (8%).

It's interesting that Twitter—used by b-to-b marketers almost as thoroughly as they use LinkedIn and Facebook when all social channels are considered—falls well below those two as the single most favorite social media channel.

On Obstacles to Adoption

Survey item: What are the top three major obstacles to adopting social media marketing in your company (check as many as three)?

Lack of resources, cited by 70% of respondents, is the single most pressing obstacle to implementing a social media marketing program. While the lack of resources is certainly frustrating for many socially inclined marketers, they're faced with other hurdles: 57% cited poorly defined success metrics and key performance indicators, and 44% said “lack of knowledge about social media” is holding them and their companies back. Management resistance, cited by 22%, may stem from the preceding three obstacles.