The Content Marketing Institute is out with their new report, surveying marketing around the world about content and digital marketing success. You can read the report here or check out the highlights below:
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And the Categories are:
Choosing the correct social media platform for your business needs is often the most important decision laying the foundation for an effective digital marketing strategy and it's crucial to understand that B2B companies not only differ from B2C in platforms, but in needs.
B2C
- B2C respondents ranked Facebook as the most effective social media platform for reaching and selling to core customers with 66% effectiveness.
- Of the B2C respondents, 76% use promoted posts with 61% finding them to be the most effective, followed closely by social media ads at 59% effectiveness. (A 20% and 30% respectively increase over last year's results)
Facebook succeeds in providing a fun and entertaining diversion from work, and businesses directly targeting consumers can find success by focusing on lighthearted content and direct engagement. Companies based in sports, hospitality, food, and the arts truly shine with this content. Of the companies surveyed 52% reported that they had a stand-alone budget just for sponsored social in their marketing mix. Add in a boosted post or timeline ad to targeted audiences and generate greater brand allegiance and top of mind consumption.
B2B
- While B2C respondents spoke to success in the social space less than half of B2B respondents found promoted posts or sponsored ads effective.
- Instead far more found paid search a valuable tool for soliciting the right clients at 55% effectiveness, and LinkedIn as the most effective social media platform at 66%.
While Facebook offers fun and distraction from every day life LinkedIn users are looking to solve problems within that everyday life whether it's how to grow their careers or the right professional to hire for their company's needs. B2B focused companies can find success in by providing expertise in subject matter through LinkedIn publisher. B2B companies should take advantage of this platform to provide free information/expertise on vital problems and solutions within a respective industry. Companies focusing on professional services such as law firms, architectural firms, and accountants can build a satisfying client list through these platforms. By providing knowledge in this space, B2B companies can be seen as experts, build trust and professionalism, and gain long term sales.
