Friday, 30, Sep 2011 08:25
Businesses need to continue investing in their corporate websites, as these remain the top online marketing portal.
A new study by technology firm Demandbase and business network Focus discovered company websites are second only to personal referrals and recommendations when it comes to generating sales leads.
Social media is not nearly as effective, with the research suggesting corporate websites bring in seven times as many leads as the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
Nearly a quarter of respondents said their website brings in the largest proportion of sales leads, followed by email marketing at 14 per cent.
Social media came in last with three per cent, below online advertising.
Chris Golec, chief executive of Demandbase, said social media is heralded as a "silver bullet" for business-to-business sales.
But he added: "Despite its increasing influence, it's important to keep in mind that no business sale is made without the buyer going to the corporate website first."
Hubspot's State of Inbound Marketing report earlier this year showed that a larger proportion of lead generation budgets is now being allocated to social media.
In 2009, social media made up nine per cent of spending on generating leads, but this year the proportion has increased to 17 per cent.
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