How important is social media to your content marketing strategy? According to a new ‘Social media for unsexy B2B industries’ infographic by Spotlight Communications it should play a central role.
Some of the most interesting findings include the fact B2B marketers who use Twitter generate twice as many leads as those that do not.
Plus, 82 per cent of leads generated through social media are referred from Twitter. As a result, Twitter outperforms LinkedIn and Facebook nine to one for lead gen. However, 57 per cent of B2B companies say they generate sales via LinkedIn.
Consequently, 85 per cent of businesses use Twitter for B2B marketing. While 82 per cent use LinkedIn, 77 per cent use Youtube and 71 per cent use Facebook. It seems odd that YouTube outperforms Facebook – especially when the infographic later states 90 per cent of B2B companies activity use Facebook in their marketing efforts, which is slightly confusing.
Meanwhile, 37 per cent of B2B buyers said they posted questions on social media sites before purchasing. While 20 per cent said they connected directly with prospective suppliers before making a purchasing decision.
These stats show the importance social should play in B2B. It isn’t enough just signing up to the right channels, brands need to actively start conversations with prospects and most importantly, be human across their social channels.
The infographic also outlines the power of blogging – which is often forgotten. Some 55 per cent of companies that blog have 55 per cent more web visitors than those without a blog. However, social media networks remain the most popular content marketing channel.