Study: Facebook Surpasses LinkedIn as Most Important B2B Social Media Platform

B2B marketers are focused on many of the same social media outlets as B2C marketers, but according to new research, usage and importance varies by network.

The “2017 Social Media Marketing Industry Report” from Social Media Examiner recently looked at which channels marketers are using to achieve their objectives. The vast majority of both B2B (89 percent) and B2C (97 percent) marketers said that they utilize Facebook, and it’s at the top of both lists.

However, “For the first time in the history of our study, Facebook has passed LinkedIn as the most important platform for B2B marketers,” noted the authors of the report.

In 2017, Facebook has been noted by 43 percent of B2B marketers as their number one social media choice. Just 37 percent of respondents said the same about LinkedIn.

While sites like Instagram (60 percent) and Pinterest (32 percent) were near the top of the usage list for B2C marketers, LinkedIn (81 percent) was more popular among B2B marketers. B2B-focused marketers also appear to find value in Twitter (75 percent) and YouTube (45 percent).

The majority of marketers (88 percent) claim that social media marketing has helped them increase exposure. About 78 percent claim that it has also helped them increase traffic, and 69 percent state that it has helped them develop loyal fans.

B2B Marketers and Social Media Investments

B2B marketers, in particular, intend to discover more of what social media marketing can do in terms of helping them achieve their objectives.

According to “The CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report,” CMOs from B2B services companies intend to allocate 13.2 percent of their budget toward social media within the next 12 months. This is an increase from the 10.7 percent they currently put toward the channel.

Within the next five years, CMOs see this percentage increasing to 17.9 percent, suggesting more interest in social media as a tactic.