Is social media the best channel for B2B marketing?

Business-to-business marketers believe social media to be their most effective marketing channel but still struggle with its demands, according to research from Omobono.

The digital marketing specialists interviewed 115 marketers in B2B roles to decipher the current mood towards social media marketing, and found that the same issues related to ROI, skills and experience dominated responses.  

The main concern for 70% of marketers is that their teams don’t have the necessary digital skills to successfully deliver a joined-up social media strategy, with resources restricted for many B2B social media campaigns due to the lack of ROI marketers can report back with.

In fact, one in three marketers admit they don’t measure ROI on any digital campaigns, while around 48% state they are held back by a lack of resources.   

Despite this, 79% of B2B marketers rate social media as the most effective marketing channel, and a large proportion are intent on increasing their social presence in the near future. 38% of those interviewed said that, if they had extra budget for next year, they would spend it on social media..    

“Social media for business has come a long way in a very short time, and this year's research demonstrates that the B2B community has embraced what used to be seen as a consumer medium to the full,” said Francesca Brosan, Omobono’s chairman.    

“But the changes it, and other digital channels, require, are putting pressures on client skill sets, resources and approach to ROI.  Our respondents are undoubtedly up for the challenge however, as so many of them cited the greater complexities of B2B marketing in the digital age as one of the key reasons they feel motivated and excited by the sector.”

Omobono’s research is in contrast to an all-sector study recently conducted by C4B that found that businesses were disenchanted with social media and rated it the fifth most effective marketing channel, with networking still considered the number one driver.

Strategy remains a barrier to social media success for all marketers, with 20% of C4B’s survey admitting they had no strategy in place for promoting their brands through social networks.