Want to know if social media is relevant for B2B companies? What about the top social media resources used by people in the Healthcare or Financial Services industries (just to name a few)? Or how B2B and B2C companies differ in the types of social media initiatives they pursue?

See all this and more in Business.com’s 2009 B2B Social Media Benchmarking Study report, available at http://www.business.com/info/b2b-social-media-benchmark-study.

This 57 page research report contains 63 charts and is based on responses from nearly 3,000 North American participants in Business.com’s Business Social Media Benchmarking Survey. The 2009 B2B Social Media Benchmarking Study report covers the stats and facts B2B companies need to reach their target business audience most effectively through social media channels as well as where B2B companies are finding social media success.

Here is the report table of contents for more detail on what the report contains:

• Introduction
• Reaching a Business Audience through Social Media
  • Top Business Social Media Resources by Company Size
  • Top Business Social Media Resources by Industry
  • Top Business Social Media Resources for Senior Management
  • Top Business Social Media Resources by Job Role
• Social Media Initiatives at B2B Companies
  • Respondent and Company Experience with Business Social Media
  • Top B2B Company Social Media Activities 34
  • How B2B Companies Judge Social Media Success
  • Initiative Detail: Managing Business Profiles on Social Media Sites
  • Initiative Detail: Participating in Q&A Sites
  • Initiative Detail: Using Social Media Monitoring Tools
  • Initiative Detail: Sharing Business Content on Social Media Sites
• Additional Reports Based on this Research
  • 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study
  • 2009 B2B Social Media Benchmarking Study
  • Upcoming Reports
• About the B2B Social Media Benchmarking Study
• Contact
• More Resources from Business.com

To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive look at the current state of B2B social media available today. Download your copy of Business.com’s 2009 B2B Social Media Benchmarking Study today and tell us what you think below!

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In recently released Business.com 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study, one of the main sections of the study covers how business people currently use different social media resources to find business-relevant information in their day-to-day jobs.

Among the nearly 2,400 study participants turning to social media channels for business information, the most popular resources are webinars and podcasts followed by ratings/reviews of business products and services. The third most popular resource – visiting company or product profile pages on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter – was cited by 62% of respondents and is perhaps the most interesting in light of recent studies suggesting that only 10% of companies give employees full access to social networks at work. 

Are CIOs over-reacting and cutting off an important source of business information?  Download the free 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study report for more details.

Top Social Media Resources Used for Business Information from Business.com's 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study

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This is one of the conclusions found in the 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking study and is based on 2,293 responses from North American business professionals. The figure below, found on pg. 7 of the study (which can be downloaded at http://www.business.com/info/business-social-media-benchmark-study), shows indexed use of social media channels to get the information and resources respondents need to do their day-to-day jobs.

Use of Social Media as a Business Information Resource by Industry | Business.com's 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study

Real Estate agents are some of the most passionate networkers around, and bringing these skills to the online world through social media is a natural extension of their offline behavior. As one respondent put it, social media allows “[me to] stay socially connected with my customers and potential clients.” In addition, social media allow those in real estate and construction to easily learn more about potential clients and customers by finding and reviewing profiles of those individuals on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.

While those in Law are finding value in the convenience of webinars and podcasts to stay current or learn more about specific legal topics, social media channels are not yet a core resource for the research legal professionals conduct on a day-to-day basis.

To learn more about the use of social media for businessby job role (hint: its not the IT team that’s tapping social media for business information), company size and much more, download your copy of Business.com’s 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study at http://www.business.com/info/business-social-media-benchmark-study.

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We’re very happy to announce that Business.com’s 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study report is now available as a free download at http://www.business.com/info/business-social-media-benchmark-study.

With 2,948 participants from the US and Canada, this is the largest study to date of how North American businesses, and business people, use social media as well as the value they find across different social media activities and sites. All study participants currently used social media in their day-to-day jobs as a resource for business-relevant information and/or work for a company currently managing, developing or planning social media initiatives.

This 42 page initial report provides excellent business social media benchmarking data for 2010 strategic planning. The report table of contents and list of figures are included below for more detail:

Table of Contents

Beyond Chatting with Friends: Social Media as a Business Resource
     Who Uses Social Media as a Resource for Business Information?
     Most Popular Social Media Resources for Business
Most Useful Social Media Resources for Business
Current State of Corporate Social Media Initiatives
     Respondent and Company Experience with Business Social Media
     Top Corporate Social Media Activities
     How Companies Judge Social Media Success
     Initiative Detail: Managing Business Profiles on Social Media Sites
     Initiative Detail: Participating in Q&A Sites
     Initiative Detail: Using Social Media Monitoring Tools
     Initiative Detail: Sharing Business Content on Social Media Sites
     Initiative Detail: Business Content Bookmarking on Social Media Sites
Upcoming Reports Based on this Reseach
About the Study

List of Figures

Figure 1: Use of Social Media as a Business Information Resource by Job Level
Figure 2: Use of Social Media as a Business Information Resource by Job Role
Figure 3: Use of Social Media as a Business Information Resource by Company Size
Figure 4: Use of Social Media as a Business Information Resource by Industry
Figure 5: Most Popular Social Media Resources for Business Information
Figure 6: Number of Different Social Media Sites/Resources Used for Business Information
Figure 7: Usefulness of Different Social Media for Business Information
Figure 8: % of Work Time Spent Managing or Involved with Company Social Media Initiatives
Figure 9: Experience with Business Social Media Among Those Currently Managing or Involved with Business Social Media Initiatives
Figure 10: Company Experience with Social Media
Figure 11: Most Popular Business Social Media Initiatives
Figure 12: Company Department Driving Social Media Initiatives
Figure 13: Number of Different Business Social Media Initiatives Planned, in Development or Currently Running
Figure 14: Top Social Media Success Metrics
Figure 15: Ability to See Impact of Social Media Initiatives on Success Metrics
Figure 16: Ability to See Impact of Social Media Initiatives on Success Metrics by Company Experience with Social Media
Figure 17: Top Social Media Sites on Which Companies Maintain Business Profiles
Figure 18: Ability to See Business Impact of Profiles on Social Media Sites
Figure 19: Net Promoter Scores for Business Profiles on Select Sites
Figure 20: Top Q&A Sites on Which Companies Participate
Figure 21: Ability to See Business Impact of Participating on Q&A Sites
Figure 22: Net Promoter Score for Participating in Q&A on Select Sites
Figure 23: Most Popular Tools for Monitoring Online Conversations
Figure 24: Ability to See Business Impact of Online Conversation Monitoring Tools
Figure 25: Net Promoter Score for Select Social Media Monitoring Tools
Figure 26: Top Sites to Which Companies Upload Content
Figure 27: Ability to See Business Impact of Content Sharing on Select Sites
Figure 28: Net Promoter Score for Select Content Sharing Sites
Figure 29: Top Sites Companies Use for Social Bookmarking
Figure 30: Ability to See Business Impact of Social Bookmarking on Select Sites
Figure 31: Net Promoter Score for Select Social Bookmarking Sites
Figure 32: Study Participants by Company Size
Figure 33: Study Participants by Industry
Figure 34: Study Participants by Job Role
Figure 35: Study Participants by Job Level
Figure 36: Study Participants by Company Product / Service Focus
Figure 37: Study Participants by Company Type (B2C, B2B or Mixed)
Figure 38: Study Participants by Primary Customer Location
Figure 39: Study Participants by Company Potential Customer Count
Figure 40: Study Participants by Company Average Sales Cycle

We’ll be providing snapshots of some of the data in future blog posts but why wait – download Business.com’s 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study today and let us know what you think!

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