Thanks to Booz&Co with their report on Social Media & Marketing 2011 report we have gained these facts…
1. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the cornerstones of most social media strategies
Priority Social Media Platforms (% of respondents listing this platform among their top 3)
Facebook 94%
Twitter 77%
YouTube 42%
Blogs 25%
Company Owned social Platforms 25%
Linkedin 13%
Location Based (e.g. Foursquare) 8%
Myspace 2%
Key Observations
- Respondents reported that they use multiple social media platforms; sample average was 4.6
- Facebook and Twitter are by far the most broadly used and highest-priority platforms
- Location-based social media is still emergent
- MySpace is a priority platform for only a limited number of respondents; most do not use it at all
Yes 35%
No 65%
Key Observations
- Overall, a third of companies reported that they have a company-wide head of social media
- The portion rises to 41% among companies that consider themselves “best in class” or “strong”
3. Today, social media lives primarily within marketing, digital, and PR
Departments Responsible for Leading Social Media Today
(% of respondents)
Marketing 81%
Digital 62%
PR 48%
Customer Service 26%
Research 16%
Sales/commerce 10%
Product Development 8%
IT 8%
Key Observations
- Marketing departments are primarily responsible for social media today
- However, social media is often spread across multiple departments
- More leading-edge companies use social media for a broader variety of applications
4. Social media has a range of uses
(% of respondents)
Advertising & Promotions 96%
PR 88%
Market Research 56%
Sales/Commerce 48%
Product Development 40%
Internal Communications 24%
Other 13%
Key Observations
- Advertising and promotions, PR, and customer service are the primary uses today
- Emerging uses include market research, sales, and product development
- In a minority of cases, social media is also used for internal communications, recruiting, or content generation
5. Companies view social media as offering the most benefit in the upper stages of the purchase funnel
(% of respondents)
Brand building 90%
Interactivity 89%
Buzz building 88%
Consumer insights 81%
Enhanced marketing effectiveness 78%
Broad reach 76%
Creativity & innovation 71%
Speed of innovation 71%
Lower cost 71%
Traffic to our sites 66%
Generation of sales/leads 46%
Key Observations
- Companies are deriving significant marketing value from social media
- Though the generation of sales and leads is rated lower than other benefits, almost half of respondents see it as a benefit of social media
6. Almost all companies report that they are growing their spend on social media
Future Investments in Social Media (% of respondents)
Will remain unchanged 5%
Substantially more resources 39%
Somewhat more resources 57%
Key Observations
- Companies clearly intend to spend more on social media in the future to build bigger social programs and platforms
- No respondents reported that they would spend less on social media in the future
Investments in Social – Type (% of respondents)
Hiring full-yime employees 57%
Services provided by partners 48%
Creating more content 39%
Media buys 38%
Consulting/other professional services 25%
IT systems/partnerships 16%
Hiring Contractors, freelancers, or part time employees 14%
Key Observations
- As companies are building up their social media, they are focused on hiring inhouse staff
- Partners also will play a key role in supporting companies as they use social media more widely
8. Marketers report that social media spend will increase significantly as a percentage of digital spend in the next three years
Key Observations
- Social media will begin to take up a meaningful share of digital budgets for many companies
- Overall digital budgets are also growing, suggesting a substantial uptick in spend in the coming years
Digital 79%
TV 21%
Magazine 15%
Outdoor 6%
Newspaper 6%
Radio 5%
Key Observations
- Social media is primarily drawing on digital media budgets, likely shifting funds away from digital advertising vehicles such as display