US B2B companies using LinkedIn as a platform for sales prospecting has increased by 48 per cent since last year according to business information company OneSource.
While traditional outbound prospecting still produces the most qualified leads, B2B sales staff were increasingly turning their attention to professional networking sites.
However social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are rated low by salespersons but still were as helpful in lead generation as direct mail.
Around 20 per cent of those surveyed were also increasing their use of blogs, Facebook and Twitter for prospecting purposes, though the overall majority still do not use social media for prospecting.
