Guest Post by: Maria Pergolino
Back on August 18th, MarketingSherpa posted a chart highlighting which social networks, according to their research, were the most successful when it came to inbound marketing. What is both interesting and useful about this chart is that not only does it give percentages, but it sections these percentages off according to their focus: B2B, B2C, or both.
When it comes to us at Marketo, our focus is the B2B results. What can we learn from the information presented in this chart? Here is some insight we gleaned from the graphic:
Content is important! Blogs rank second highest on this list, which means that original content is important to all B2B marketing efforts. While sharing and curating content on social sites like LinkedIn or Facebook; blogs, which are a source of most of a company’s original content, are a big contender for the top spot. Keep your company’s blog successful by utilizing SEO within your posts and headlines, being aware of and interpreting developments in your field, and consistently updating with engaging content to keep comments and conversations going.
LinkedIn rules! One of the most interesting facets of this chart is that LinkedIn beats any other social networking site addressed by at least twelve percentage points. With an eighteen point lead on Facebook, it is a great option for growth with your B2B marketing plans because of its focused approach: it is there for business people and business people are who you are trying to connect with. With a new mobile feature, on top of thousands of groups and the unique referral feature, if your company is not already fully utilizing LinkedIn, now is a good time to start.
Small percentages leave room for growth. On the bottom end of the chart we are left with presentation sharing, social bookmarking, photo sharing and document sharing as outlets that contain 20 percent or less of the pie when it comes to inbound marketing for B2B marketers. Ten to twenty percent is a small margin but at the same time it could be considered an untapped market. These features would not be on the chart if they didn’t have some sway, so adding them to your marketing plan for a more thorough and integrated approach to social marketing. Sites like Flickr connect easily with Facebook which adds another layer of potential connections with prospects.
This chart exists in the first place because, when it comes to the web, social is something everyone should be looking in to. The numbers are there, all you have to do is take the next step and get yourself on some of these sites in order to learn what types of social sites work best for you and which don’t. Did your business gain any insight from this chart that we didn’t mention in our rundown? Let us know below in a comment.
Original Post: http://blog.marketo.com/blog/2011/10/chart-chat-social-media-platforms-and-b2b-marketing.html
