A survey of 500 B2B and B2C marketing professionals conducted by WebMarketing123 found that 55 percent have converted prospects identified through social media marketing.
Forty-percent said the social leads they converted came through Facebook, while 21 percent closed deals with LinkedIn leads and 20 percent sold to leads from Twitter. The growth in social media marketing has often been cited as a driver of engagement and increased brand visibility, however, the numbers from WebMarketing 123’s survey demonstrate that social marketing can also improve sales.
While SEO and PPC campaigns dominate marketing budgets, social media marketing spends strong. According to WebMarketing123, 10 percent of B2B digital marketing budgets is allocated to social media, while B2C marketers spend 15 percent of their marketing dollars on social.
WebMarketing123’s figures show that social media marketing is already an integral part of web marketing campaigns. However, 46 percent of respondents said they hope to learn more about social media and best practices for marketing on the channel. To the same end, 60 percent expect their total social spend to grow 60 percent next year.
As social marketing investments rise, marketers should continue to improve their customer engagement via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Brafton recently reported that two-thirds of companies using social marketing are missing engagement opportunities, and lack of social communication with prospects could drive them to other businesses.
