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The Search is On - How Businesses Tap Social Media to Find Products and Services
Just what mediums are being used by businesses to find out more about products and services? The top four social media resources are:
- Attend webinars and listen to podcasts
- Visit company or product profile pages on social media sites
- Read user ratings
- Visit company blogs
This gives us some insight into where our prospective customers are going to learn more and seek out products. Businesses are also participating on social media web sites such as online business communities or forums and asking questions on sites such as LinkedIn Answers.
The study goes on to classify use of social media resources by industry. The nuances are both interesting and important to consider when crafting your own social media programs. For instance attending webinars and listening to podcasts are the number one resource for businesses seeking information in the following industries:
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Computer and software
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Financial services
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Healthcare
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Legal
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Media and entertainment
Whereas, reading user ratings and reviews for business products or services comes in first for these industries:
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The Big 3 -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
No doubt Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are pervasive, and chances are you are active in one or more of these three. Turns out that 81% of the B2B companies in this study (which is comprised of responses from 2,393 participants) maintain one or more accounts or profiles on these top 3 sites. As to measurement, the success metrics center on website traffic, brand awareness, prospect lead quality, and lead volume.
Facebook wins out for the most used site for managing business profiles. Twitter comes next and then LinkedIn. |
YouTube Takes the Lead for Sharing Business Content
Not surprisingly, YouTube is the top sharing site for companies that upload business content to 3rd party sites. It makes sense because smart marketers have gravitated to video as one of the most engaging mediums to get a message across whether it is a tutorial, an open the box demo, a viral commercial, or a message from the top. Of particular interest is that those using YouTube and SlideShare report the greatest ability to see the impact of tapping these sites on business results. |
