1. 84% of millennial B2B decision-makers regard their mobile device as a critical tool – and 76% of older B2B buyers agree.
Google has already declared mobile to be mandatory for search—as of 2018, the tech giant’s mobile-first index will view sites through the eyes of the mobile user, and will rank them accordingly. Bottom line: if your mobile and desktop sites differ greatly, you could suffer a penalty on your desktop Search Engine Results Page.
2. 64% of senior employees make the final decision on B2B purchases – but 81% of non-senior employees influence their choices.
Traditional B2B marketing strategies might need to rethink their target audience when it comes to who the influencers are. Senior-level managers are looking to the younger generation when considering B2B buying decisions—and the majority of those influencers are non-C-Suite employees.
3. In the B2B marketing space, LinkedIn is the most effective social media platform.
While it’s true 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn, more than 66% regard the platform as the most effective social media tool in the B2B marketing space.
4. Instagram has the highest social media interaction rate.
At 22.53 interactions per 1000 followers, Instagram takes the lead in social media engagement. Facebook pulls up second place at 5.99, with LinkedIn following behind at 1.09. Twitter comes in at 0.86.
5. For 85% of B2B marketers, quality content and a commitment to metrics is critical.
The majority of B2B marketers regard content quality and efficiency as top priorities for their digital marketing campaigns, and nearly half consider metrics and optimization to be crucial for success.
6. Millennials make up more than half of B2B researchers.
In just the last few years, millennials have been part of a major shift in the B2B researcher demographic. In 2012, B2B researchers were pretty evenly distributed across all age groups. Over two years, a dramatic shift took place: 18 to 34-year-olds made up more than half of all researchers, amounting to an increase of 70%. And the number just keeps rising.
7. Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms.
With more than 300 million daily Instagrammers—80% under age 35—B2B brands could be missing out. Just 33% of B2B brands have an Instagram presence.
Considering joining? You’d be in good company. Instagram has more than doubled its users to more than 700 million monthly actives in just two years, and its growth rate is skyrocketing. From December 2016 to April 2017, in just four months, its user base grew another 100 million followers. Take a look at these stats:
October 6, 2010 – Instagram Launch
February 26, 2013 – 100 million users acquired over 28 months
March 25, 2014 – 200 million over 13 months
December 10, 2014 – 300 million over 9 months
September 22, 2015 – 400 million over 9 months
June 21, 2016 – 500 million over 9 months
December 15, 2016 – 600 million over 6 months
April 26, 2017 – 700 million over 4 months
How do these numbers compare to other social platforms? Instagram has more than twice the user base of Twitter, and it’s fast headed for the billion-user club alongside the likes of Facebook (1.8 billion), WhatsApp, and Messenger (combined 1.2 billion).
8. 89% of marketers use content marketing as their strategy, and 62% report that it’s more successful than just one year ago.
More than half of marketers regard effective distribution as the reason for their success, with 93% of B2B marketers using email as their primary distribution channel. With 54% of all emails accessed via mobile device, it’s easy to see how mobile content optimization will be critical in 2018.
9. 71% of B2B researchers begin searching Google with generic search terms.
That’s right—in today’s competitive marketplace, ranking for certain keywords has never been more difficult.
So how are searchers getting to your site? According to Google Think, they are looking for a product first—not for your brand—and generic paid search is huge when it comes to the initial path to purchase for industrial/business brands.
What does this mean for your business? In short, it means that your potential customers are reaching your brand much later in their journey, so you have to be prepared to present value to them earlier in the process—well before the initial contact and sale. Bidding on your brand terms is no longer enough, as decision making is taking place prior to brand awareness. If you pinpoint where you might be part of the conversation early on and throughout the search process, you’ll be in a better position to make a connection that turns into a sale.
10. Just 50% of B2B organizations have a responsive website.
What does this mean for your business? A new year is fast approaching and making an investment in your site’s responsiveness could give you a competitive edge in the market.
