B2B marketers slow on the uptake but better at measurement

B2B marketers lag behind their B2C colleagues in uptake of social media tools, but they remain more effective at measurement.

In a survey of US marketers by digital marketing agency, White Horse, 52 per cent of B2C marketers said they were interacting with social channels daily, compared to 32 per cent of B2B marketers.

Forty-five per cent of B2B marketers said they had a basic social presence, but conducted no significant marketing activity in the space. In B2C, only 26 per cent gave the same answer.

According to eMarketer, more than one-third of B2B marketers surveyed said there was low executive interest in social media in their company, compared with 9 per cent of B2C marketers who said the same.

The reason? Very little interest from management, it seems: 46 per cent of B2B respondents said social media was perceived as irrelevant to their company, while only 12 per cent of consumer-oriented marketers had the same problem. B2Bs also reported a much greater preference for traditional marketing tactics.

Could it be that B2B marketers are just a little more conservative than their B2C counterparts? The need to look ‘professional’ may hinder a marketers’ courage to try out new marketing trends. Is this a good thing for business or does it make business boring?

The good news for B2B marketers is that they tend to be better at measurement. eMarketer reports that “other studies have shown that B2B marketers are more effective at measurement because they focus on outcomes that matter to their bottom line, such as lead generation.”

So what do you think about B2B marketing: boring or smart?

Read more:

eMarketer, B2B Marketers Gain Ground with Social, 27 May 2010

eMarketer, Why Social Media Makes Sense for B2B Marketers, 23 March 2010

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