In a recent MDM survey, just half of respondents said they were using LinkedIn. Even fewer used online tools such as Twitter and Facebook. This article will examine why B2B companies have resisted using social media to further business goals and presents expert analysis and examples on how distributors can benefit from these tools. The author also analyzes results from a recent survey on how MDM readers use social media.

Even as business-to-consumer companies are finding ways to capitalize upon the growing social media trend, many business-to-business companies are struggling with how they can use social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

In a recent MDM survey, about 42 percent of respondents – distributors and manufacturers – said their companies were not using social media. The reasons ranged …