Social Media Platforms & B2B Marketing – How’s it Stacking up?

This was first published to LinkedIn in May 2020.

I’m always really interested in seeing how B2B marketers use different social media channels for brand building and lead generation. I’ve always seen LinkedIn as the only credible channel when it comes to B2B lead gen – with everything else really just being about building and strengthening brand presence. 

That’s why I was really interested to read the 2020 Social Media Marketing Industry Report from Social Media Examiner and Michael Stelzner.

Whilst it covers marketing cross-industry, and recipients are primarily from the US, there are some interesting stats specific to B2B, which I found particularly interesting as a B2B tech marketer. 

The report in part highlights how social channels, traditionally used only in B2C, are now being embraced with open arms by B2B marketers. Yet, from a quick poll I conducted amongst my own network in May (and I know this isn’t very scientific!) LinkedIn does still seem to be top of the list (although many recipients did say they do use other multiple channels as part of their wider social media strategy).

I’d love your thoughts on the best-fit social media channels for B2B – for both lead gen and brand building, but for now I thought I’d share four snippets from the Social Media Examiner report that I personally found quite insightful. 

If you want to read the full report, (and there are many other interesting stats that are well worth a read for B2C and B2B marketers) you can do so here.

The benefits of social media

(Source: 2020 Social Media Marketing Industry Report)

Maturity and ROI are linked

It seems that the more experience marketers have, the better the results. For example, those using social for more than 12 months found it helped to improve sales, generates more leads and increased traffic to their website.

Video channels used by marketers

Overall YouTube, Facebook and Instagram top the list for video channels used by marketers, mostly driven by B2C, but there’s still a good chunk of B2B marketers using Instagram Stories (41%) and Facebook video (46%) whilst LinkedIn video is only 27%. 

However, with 69% of B2B marketers wanting to learn more about LinkedIn video – and with LinkedIn recently launching LinkedIn Live, it will be interesting to see how the stats compare next year.

What’s also comforting to see is that I’m not alone in the ‘I don’t use video’ category! 

Channels used by B2C and B2B marketers:

(Source: 2020 Social Media Marketing Industry Report)

I hope this was interesting and useful!

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