Aussie B2B companies fail the social media test, top performing industries include airline, telco, accounting, banking and motor vehicle via Lead

Lead Creation, a leading Australian digital marketing firm, today released the most comprehensive study conducted into the use of social media by Australian companies – ‘Australia’s Social Media Presence in 2012; The Roadmap for 2013’.

The study, funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry and Innovation, reviewed the online presence of Australia’s top 200 B2B companies by collecting, grading and analysing over 18,630 data points across the 7 major Social Media platforms. It is the largest study ever done on B2B companies globally.

An online presence is becoming increasingly important for B2B companies in Australia. 93% of business buyers believe all companies should have a Social Media presence, however, few B2B companies are successfully differentiating themselves from their B2C adversaries, and even fewer in-depth studies are concentrating on the differences.

Toby Marshall, Lead Creation managing director, said the study examines how buying habits have changed, how companies are using social media and how online influence converts into real-world business.

Says Marshall: “We’ve seen social media attract clients many times, but we wanted to prove it hence the study to gauge the true power of social media.

“Social media platforms were created for social and networking purposes without any clear application for business. Building it into day-to-day business activities is still in its infancy, and only a few have cracked it.

“The aim of the study was to create a roadmap for B2B companies looking to utilise social media effectively. To do this, we analysed what companies are currently doing and who the front runners are and what they are doing to generate business results.

“Globally, no large studies have focused on the very different requirements of companies that sell to other businesses. For example, a brand like Bega Cheese, a consumer product, should not be compared to a company like BHP or Westpac Business Banking.

“That’s why the Federal Government funded a study that focused on providing a tool dedicated to the needs of B2B companies and one that would help illustrate why and how they should be using Social Media to generate business.”

Lead Creation developed a ranking system, BizClout, that assesses a company’s online presence across the seven major social networking platforms – LinkedIn (Company), LinkedIn (Individual), Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube – and scored each platform according to the company’s contribution to content and audience engagement.

BizClout was reviewed and accredited by leading social media experts from Australia and New Zealand* before being applied to the data.

Says Marshall: “One of the key findings of the study was the change in importance from what the company says and does to what its employees say and do; the biggest ‘fault line’ between old and new marketing.

“LinkedIn individual profiles are essential to increasing a company’s influence. There is much truth in the sales concept that B2B is not about selling to a company, but rather selling to the people at the company.

“Similarly, it has always been true that people buy from people they like. With ‘social’ networks becoming larger and more powerful, it is inevitable that the company becomes less important as buyers connect directly with the people behind the company.”

Only one of the top 30 Australian companies reviewed in the study utilised the profiles of key executives and employees to boost their online profile.

The Executive Summary (Free) and the Full Research Study ($70) can be downloaded here.