More than nine out of ten B2B marketers (93%) say they conduct social media marketing to some extent and cite LinkedIn as their single most important social channel, according to a new report from BtoB Online.
Among surveyed B2B marketers who conduct social marketing, 26% cite LinkedIn as their single most important social tool, 20% cite Facebook, 19% cite blogging, and 14% cite a customer community as their top tool.
Some 13% of B2B marketers cite Twitter as their most important social tool, and 7% cite YouTube.
Below, other findings from BtoB Online's report, Emerging Trends in B2B Social Marketing: Insights from the Field.
Obstacles to Adoption
Asked to identify the top 3 major obstacles to adopting social media marketing, 70% of B2B marketers cite a lack of resources. Such marketers are faced with other obstacles as well, citing the following:
- Poorly defined success metrics and key performance indicators: 57%
- Lack of knowledge about social media: 44%
- Management resistance: 22%
Measurement a Challenge
Some 75% of B2B marketers who conduct social marketing say they do not measure the ROI of social initiatives.
"Although the metrics to measure social media efforts are still in early development, it is important to note that on average, B2B marketers enjoy a 10% lift in website traffic due to social media marketing," said Bob Felensthal, BtoB publisher.
About the report: Findings from the report, Emerging Trends in B2B Social Marketing: Insights From the Field, are based interviews with 577 B2B marketers, conducted in March 2011.
