BtoB and Business.com have released a study, “The Impact of Social Media on Search,” based on an online survey of 464 b2b marketers conducted July 1-16, 2010, designed to find out how marketers are integrating social media with search marketing.
According to the survey, 29% of marketers plan to increase their budgets for social media this year, and 56% plan to provide additional resources for social media. The top goals for social media marketing are: building brand awareness (81%); increasing traffic to a website (77%); generating leads (67%); providing deeper engagement with customers (66%); and improving search results (57%).
When it comes to “improving search results,” 48% said they are driving inbound links through various social media channels; 45% said they are expanding profiles and social media accounts to increase rankings on major search engines; 40% said they are monitoring social media conversations to influence organic SEO; and 26% said they are monitoring social media conversations to influence keyword purchases.
Overall, 44% said the impact of social media on the search performance of their company’s website had been positive. 35% of marketers said they have seen an improvement in organic search rankings; 24% reported an increase in search referrals; and 15% have seen increased click-through rates in paid search campaigns.
To see additional survey results, go to B2B’s web site.
