LinkedIn Reaches IT Decision Makers Better than Anything Else

The following is from an excellent Marketing Profs article by Lenna Garibian that focuses on recent research into the use of social networks, particularly LinkedIn, during the sales process by IT decisions makers (ITDMs). The research was conducted by Forrester Consulting and Research Now and commissioned by LinkedIn. Here are some of the most important findings among the ITDMs polled:

· 71% say LinkedIn allows users to identify the credentials of information sources; only 35% say the same about Twitter and 29% say so about Facebook.

· 58% say LinkedIn provides a trusted resource to help validate information from other sources (vs. 37% for Twitter and 29% for Facebook).

· 55% say LinkedIn provides a trusted channel for vendor information (vs. 43% for Twitter and 32% for Facebook).

· 54% of ITDMs say LinkedIn enables users to quickly find information; 42% say the same about Twitter and 34% say so about Facebook.

· 71% say LinkedIn surfaces insights that are relevant to users' needs; 49% say the same about Twitter and 41% say so about Facebook.

· 86% say LinkedIn provides access to a broader network of peers; 54% say the same about Twitter and 54% say so about Facebook.

None of this is really surprising—it’s just a confirmation of something most B2B marketers already know: LinkedIn is an excellent resource for connecting with decision makers. Also notice that none of the above statistics specifically mention LinkedIn advertising (although they don’t exclude it either).

LinkedIn advertising is expensive, there’s no getting around it. However, if leveraged correctly it can be well worth it. Before embarking on any LinkedIn advertising campaign, be sure that your company page and all of its assets are fully optimized. Have you created all of your Showcase pages? Are you posting at least weekly and is every post tagged? Does your profile include key terms that are relevant to your market? LinkedIn is a HIGHLY underutilized source for organic search—but that’s a post for another day.

Lenna’s full article may be available at: https://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2012/9502/linkedin-an-influential-force-in-it-purchasing process

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