The majority (57%) of B2B information technology buyers are using social networks as part their purchase decision process, according to a recent report from IDG Connect.
Moreover, B2B buyers say content discovered on social networks will likely have more influence on their purchasing decisions than directly accessed editorial or vendor content in the future.
Today, editorial content has the biggest influence in making IT investment decisions (35% of buyers give it the most weight), followed by vendor content (34%), and then social content (31%). In two years, buyers believe, content found on social networks will move ahead of both editorial and vendor content in terms of importance (37% say it will have the most weight).
Below, additional key findings from the report, which was based on data from a survey of 400 B2B buyers responsible for IT purchasing decisions.
Types of Content
- Survey respondents say they use social networks across all buying stages, but most during the initial research phase.
- 89% of buyers say vendor-provided educational content is acceptable on social networks, and 64% say promotional content is acceptable.
- Buyers are most interested in seeing links to informational content on social networks, such as reviews and comparisons.
Activities
Asked what sorts of vendor activities they would liked to see shared on social networks, buyers ranked e-seminars on top, with 62% showing interest.
About the research: The report was based on data from survey of 400 B2B buyers responsible for IT purchasing decisions.
