B2B buyers find social media OK but prefer email

B2B ecommerce buyers strongly prefer email to social media when it comes to sharing comments about product research with their colleagues. According to a report from research company eMarketer, 97 percent of the B2B buyers surveyed said email was their main way of sharing product content to help with purchasing decisions, Internet Retailer reported.

On the social media side, the survey found that LinkedIn was the top preference; 78 percent use it for product research sharing, followed by Twitter at 59 percent, Facebook at 40 percent, Google+ at 36 percent, Slideshare at 32 percent and Pinterest at 20 percent.

“Buyers vastly prefer sharing via email, but have shown preference for LinkedIn and Twitter for social media sharing purposes,” the eMarketer report said. “Blog posts, infographics and videos were the most popular formats of content for sharing.”

Video and mobile have also become key ways in which B2B buyers do research. More than half now use mobile devices for that task, according to data from IDG Global Solutions.

Among survey respondents, 67 percent said they use their web-enabled smartphones to see product information, while 65 percent use them for comparing prices and products, 57 percent use mobile to read feature articles about trends and strategies, 48 percent to watch videos, 47 percent to participate in forums and social networks, 41 percent to read case studies and 34 percent to read white papers.