Report: Facebook Is the Most Important Social Media Platform for Marketers

There are a number of social media platforms deserving of marketers’ attention, but which one is the most important of them all? According to nearly half of all marketers, the answer is Facebook.

This finding comes from Social Media Examiner’s “2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses.” According to the report, which shares findings based on responses from 3,025 marketers, 49 percent of marketers point to Facebook as their No. 1 social media platform. LinkedIn was second (16 percent), followed by blogging (14 percent), Twitter (12 percent), YouTube (4 percent) and Google+ (2 percent).

When it comes to effectiveness, Social Media Examiner looked at responses from marketers with three or more years of experience and found that Facebook tops the list with a 46 percent response, followed by blogging with 17 percent, Twitter with 15 percent, LinkedIn with 14 percent, YouTube with 4 percent and Google+ with 2 percent.

The picture is drastically different when B2C marketers’ responses are lined up next to B2B marketers’ responses. It’s no surprise that 67 percent of B2C marketers say Facebook is their top social media platform. Blogging (11 percent), Twitter (10 percent) and LinkedIn (5 percent) all follow behind.

However, 29 percent of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is their go-to social media platform, putting it in a tie with Facebook, which also got a 29 percent response. Blogging (19 percent), Twitter (19 percent) and YouTube (4 percent) follow.

Social Media Examiner also shares that 37 percent of marketers agree with the statement, “My Facebook marketing is effective”