Younger B2B buyers are the main reason marketers need to refresh their social media marketing strategies

The B2B buyer is younger, digital-first, and dominates the share of voice online. They’re demanding, but they’re also more engaged in the buying process. And they look to social content for education, inspiration, and solutions. As the number of young decision-makers only increases, social media’s importance in B2B marketing strategies is growing too.

• Millennials are significantly influenced by social media content when making final purchasing decisions. As a result, social media is now the most effective B2B channel for both top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel strategies, according to 50% and 46% of marketers, respectively, in an April 2023 survey by Wpromote and Ascend2.
• The LinkedIn user base is getting younger. On this top B2B network, millennials and Gen Zers will make up 61.6% of total US users in 2023, per our forecast. User growth this year will be most notable in Gen Z, rising 20.0% YoY.
• B2B buyers use social media to reach sellers and to share experiences. Nearly half (46.5%) worldwide use social media to contact B2B firms, and 69% will also share their poor customer experiences on social media or online review platforms, according to an August 2022 survey by GoodFirms. Further, the likelihood of sharing negative experiences is higher among millennials (42.5%) and Gen Z (57.6%).
• Overall, B2B professionals’ activity on social media has increased. Close to 40% of professionals in all sectors worldwide said they engaged with content multiple times daily in 2022, up from 28% in 2021, per a May 2023 report by Qnary. Executives are also using social media to communicate their views, with nearly half of all respondents doing so.