Professionals who use social media for B2B purchasing have bigger budgets, make more purchases, and have more influence than buyers who don't use social.

1. Social buying meets social selling:
How trusted networks improve the purchase experience

2. Social buying:
Leveraging professional
networks for buying support
to increase confidence in
decision-making

3. Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 760
of C-Level and VP-level buyers use
social media for B2B purchase decisions
Social buying is widely practiced among B2B decision
makers, especially C-level and VP-level executives
of all buyers use social media for
B2B purchase decisions

4. New research conducted by IDC and sponsored by LinkedIn
explores the habits and preferences of these social buyers
• How do buyers use social media for purchase decisions?
• Why do buyers use social media for purchase decisions?
• What are the ideal situations for using social media for
purchase decisions?

5. Social media is an efficient way for buyers to access
resources and inform complex, high-risk purchase
decisions
“It made the process
much faster and easier
and ultimately helped with a
better end product."

6. Average spend of
non-social buyers
Average spend of
social buyers
Compared with other B2B buyers, buyers who use social
media for purchasing spend 84% more per purchase
Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 760

7. Social buyers also make 61% more purchases on average
than buyers who don’t use social
# of purchases made
by non-social buyers
# of purchases made
by social buyers
Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 760

8. And social buyers have a higher level of company influence
than purchasers who do not use social media
Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 760
of non-social buyers make
purchases for their entire
company, business unit, or
multiple departments
of social buyers make purchases for
their entire company, business unit, or
multiple departments

9. More confident we had the right information
More comfortable with the expertise and credibility of our vendor
More satisfactory options were available to us
Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 573
Business buyers reported the greatest benefit of social media as
gaining greater confidence and comfort in their decisions

10. They value social media as a way to access their trusted
personal and professional networks
Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 760
Prefer to work with vendors who have been recommended
Prefer to work with sales professionals who have been referred
Consider friends and colleagues as critical for reference checking

11. Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 760
In fact, as buyers get closer to making a decision, online
professional networks become their #1 purchase resource
Third-party expert
recommendations
Industry-specific
media
Professional social
networks (e.g. LinkedIn)

12. Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 422
LinkedIn helps buyers build confidence in the credibility of
potential business partners
Researched vendors via their LinkedIn profiles
Searched for potential vendors on LinkedIn
Found vendors through common LinkedIn connections

13. The biggest deterrent to social buying is the authenticity of
online profiles, but adoption should increase as social
networks grow
Source: IDC White Paper Sponsored by LinkedIn, "Social Buying Meets Social Selling:
How Trusted Networks Improve the Purchase Experience" #247829, April 2014
For all respondents, n = 187
Non-social buyers who would use
social media if their peers did
Non-social buyers who are
concerned / strongly concerned
about online profile authenticity

14. Following leaders
Senior executives are most
likely to engage in social
buying. Where these leaders
go, others tend to follow.
Seeking outcomes
The value of social buying
(greater efficiency in reaping
trust and confidence from
social networks) is highly
desired by most B2B buyers.
Amplifying benefits
As vendors gain more
experience at social selling,
their skills will improve. This
will amplify the value buyers
receive from social.
Moving forward, IDC expects social buying to become
increasingly popular and beneficial

15. Sales professionals can partner more effectively with social
buyers by increasing social proximity, presence, and capital
Social proximity
Grow social networks and
contribute to conversations.
Social presence
Manage a professional identity
that is credible, authentic,
accurate, information-rich, and
service oriented.
Social capital
Do your social homework to
ensure relevancy before you
reach out and facilitate peer-
to-peer recommendations.

16. Are you prepared to reach social buyers?
Find out how.
Download the
research:
lnkd.in/b_xEzKS
Get more tips and insights:
sales.linkedin.com/blog