For the third consecutive year, YouTube is the channel that a large majority of companies indicate will increase their investments in marketing and social media, according to the results of the survey conducted every year Social Media Examiner titled “Social Media Marketing Report.”

This year, 69% of respondents say they plan to increase their marketing efforts on YouTube in the near future to take full advantage of the potential and potential of online videos, while another 17% plan to maintain current levels of online video. investment. Only 13% say they have no plans to use the platform. Last year, the figures reflected a 76% increase in activity compared to 10% of those who did not intend to include YouTube in their marketing plans.

But despite all these good intentions, YouTube’s adoption level remains unchanged: 56% in 2011 and 57% in 2012, and this year it’s back to 56%.

Nevertheless, YouTube is one of the 5 most used platforms this year, ahead of Google+ (42%) and Pinterest (41%), but far from the omnipresent Facebook (92%) as well as Twitter ( 80%), LinkedlIn (70%), and blogs (70%).

After YouTube, and taking into account that the expected activity may not be realized, a significant proportion of companies are planning to increase their activity in Facebook (66%), blogs (66%), LinkedIn (65%) and Twitter (64 %). Blogs and LinkedlIn are especially attractive tools for participants of B2B companies, with 71% and 78% respectively, hoping to increase their activity in those platforms.

An additional interesting fact is the use of podcasts. While only 5% of companies use it right now, 24% are planning to increase their use this year.

Other data of the study of interest are:

• Forums (25% in 2011 and 16% this year) and geolocation services like Foursquare (17% in 2011, 11% this year), are in decline.
• Participants with an experience of more than 5 years are more favorable to the use of LinkedLin than the average of respondents (92% and 70%).
• Companies with an active presence of more than 40 hours a week in social media spend more time on Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and YouTube than those who spend only 6 hours or less on social media marketing.
• B2C companies make more use of Facebook than B2B companies, while the proportion is inverse in the case of LinkedlIn.
• Although Facebook is the most important social platform for the majority (67%) of B2C companies, Facebook and LinkedIn have a similar presence, with 29% among B2B companies.
• 67% of companies expect to increase their presence on Twitter, but it is down from 69% in 2012 and 73% in 2011.
• Younger marketers make greater use of image sharing platforms, such as Instagram, than older executives.
• 80% of the companies do not plan to use bids and daily promotions services such as LivingSocial or Groupon in a short time.