B2B marketers should be focussing on social media in 2014, according to an eMarketer report.
A huge increase in the corporate use of social media would indicate that this should be the focus for marketers looking for new customer leads, according to the research.
The analysis shows that more than a third of B2B marketers are either “very involved” with social media marketing (37%, up from 26% in 2012) or fully integrated and centering their marketing on social media (10%, up from 6%).
The statistics point to the importance of building social channels, listening to social conversations and knowing where to look for potential clients - LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, professional blogs, professional association Websites, etc.
B2B decision-makers are looking first and foremost at online communities and professional associations (47%) followed by industry groups and other similar organisations (46%).
While a third of professionals listen to their associates and peers to get their views on business purchases, another 23% cite social media as their source. Included in this are LinkedIn “groups,” Facebook commentary and other social media channels.