New Village Media

Business-to-business marketing professionals have climbed en-masse onto the social media bandwagon according to a new survey slated to be presented in Chicago next month. Fifty-seven per cent of the marketing professionals say they are now using social media, up from 15% just two years ago.

But despite the clamor to use social media, many marketers worry it is hard to establish the return on investment (ROI).

The survey, conducted by BtoB magazine and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), was presented on Aug. 4, 2009, at B-to-B Marketing in the New World in Chicago.

Twitter tops the list of social networking sites with 70% of b-to-b marketers saying they were using it (but just 46% of business-to-consumer marketers said they were using the micro-blogging site). And Facebook was the most-used social media site with 60% of b-to-b marketers using it.

The survey also shows a decided shift in the use of the Web. In 2007, 49% said the primary purpose of Websites was brand building; this year, just 34% said that was the purpose. Instead, the Web is increasingly being seen as a marketing tool for demand generation - 47% this year compared to 39% two years ago.

Those who planned to make more use of social media tools said proven strategies - blogs and email - would top their priorities.