IT Buyers Tap Social Media for Content

Social media's role in how IT buyers evaluate products and make buying decisions continues to expand. As the trend picks up steam, channel partners must offer relevant links to content through multiple social media channels during the buying process; otherwise, they could lose out in lead generation and positive customer engagement efforts. A new survey from IDG Connect finds that 86 percent of enterprise respondents involved in IT purchasing use social media networks to help with their purchasing decisions—from the general education phase to the final decision. The study recommends using a mix of social networks, including the top four: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. The survey indicates that social media is important during the decision-making process and should be a key element of all channel partners' go-to-market strategies and how they engage with existing and potential customers. Channel Insider shares key takeaways from the survey, including several surprising results such as Facebook's big role in the IT decision-making process.