B2B IT and Social Media 2: The Vendor Perspective

The first post on this topic focused on the IT buyer use of social media, outlining an ITtoolbox study which found that IT decision makers spend more time each week reading or interacting with social media than they do with editorial content, vendor-produced content or the research of analyst firms—and that they trust social media more than any other source. Here is the vendor perspective.

According to recent white paper from Robert Lesser, publisher of LeadGenTools.com, and Paul Dunay of the Buzz Marketing for Technology blog, "B2B marketers are not just embracing Web 2.0 tools, they're pushing the envelope on adoption. They're using the new tools to reach prospects, not just reinforce existing customer relationships. They're rolling Web 2.0 tools out to their teams and organizations. And they're quickly moving up the learning curve."

According to the study (which can be obtained for free by completing a short survey here):

• The majority of B2B IT companies embracing Web 2.0 tools are marketing complex products and services which generally have long sales cycles.


• More than half of marketers embracing Web 2.0 tools work in small to mid-sized companies. Web 2.0 tools are an inexpensive way for these businesses to increase market awareness. Smaller companies are also more often free of the legal and accounting department obstacles that limit Web 2.0 activities.


• Nearly 90% of respondents are using Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and podcasts to target prospects. "This suggests a high degree of confidence in (Web 2.0 tools)," according to survey co-author Robert Lesser.


• Blogs are the most frequently used Web 2.0 tool, followed by RSS feeds and podcasts.


• WordPress and Blogger are the most popular blogging platforms, while Feedburner is the preferred RSS feed creator.

Clearly, Web 2.0 and social media aren't just for teenagers and garage bands; they are being embraced in a big way by B2B technology buyers and vendors alike. Again, you can get a free copy of the entire LeadGenTools B2B vendor report by taking the short online survey here.
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