Social Media Channels Used By B2B & B2C Marketers

Segment from Episode 308 of the Beyond Social Media Show

Episode Transcript

David Erickson: For years, Social Media Examiner has very smartly published an annual State of Social Media report. That’s their lead magnet. That’s a reason to give up your email address to Social Media Examiner; because you get a really good, well-produced, statistically-sound report on what people are doing with social media. They do that every year. They’ve done it from beginning to build their audience and then they branched out into events. They’ve held virtual events in the past, so I suspect now their events are going to be virtual again, too.

But they just recently released the latest social media–it’s based on 5,200-plus marketers that were surveyed. I’ve got just a slice of it here.

This is B2C marketers compared to B2B marketers and which social media a platform they’re using. For B2C marketers, the top–not surprisingly–is Facebook. 96% are using Facebook. The next one, not surprisingly, either: Instagram. 82% for Instagram, and 53% for YouTube, 53% for Twitter, 50% for LinkedIn.

Chart: B2C Marketers Use Of Social Media By Channel
Social media channels used by B2C marketers

And then if you go over the B2B marketers, not surprisingly, 91% are using Facebook, that’s the top channel. But then, of course, the next channel, what do you think, B.L.?

BL Ochman: Well, I figured LinkedIn would have been the top.

DEE: Well, LinkedIn is…everybody’s on Facebook. So that doesn’t surprise me. But the next one, LinkedIn at one 81%, Instagram follows with 71%. Twitter is next with 59%, YouTube 56%.

Social media channels used by B2B marketers

What is interesting to me is for both of the B2C and B2B: TikTok is at the bottom. So the hot new property–TikTok–very few, both B2B and B2C marketers are actually using it–

BL: Do you think that’s because they don’t understand how to use it?

DE: No, I don’t. I think B2B or B2C marketers are usually the ones that jump on the hot new property because the hot new property is usually driven by young people. And so they want to figure out what the next up-and-coming platform is. And they’re all about awareness, so that makes sense for them to jump on that.

It is surprising to me that B2C, it’s at the bottom of the list, for B2C marketers. B2B marketers, it doesn’t make any sense at all to use–which is why I haven’t really paid much attention to TikTok.

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