Social media marketer survey, Jan 2010

Background The IAB Social Media Council wanted to find out what UK brands think about social media We investigated levels of knowledge, usage, and budget allocations, to gain a deeper understanding of what the challenges are for the industry These slides are based on the responses of 80 senior-level marketers, conducted via questionnaire in December 2009

Key findings Social media is important to over 88% of clients Usage is mixed – for some a core component for others still at testing stage Whilst marketing is the main dept of choice, many clients are unsure where social media fits Proving ROI and measurement are seen to be biggest challenges Social media budgets WILL be going up in 2010

How do you rate the importance of social media to your business?

To what extent have you embraced social media marketing and PR? %

Where does social media fit within your organisation? %

Responsibility of lots of people Cross-departmental Digital team Dedicated social media team Fundraising CEO Digital banking Where does social media fit within your organisation? Other, open responses…

Which of the following social media activities have you used and how important are they to your organisation?

Social media monitoring %

Reactive customer service %

Blogger outreach %

Own branded blog %

Own branded community %

Own Twitter account %

Facebook page or group %

LinkedIn group %

YouTube channel %

Official account on other social site (i.e. Flickr) %

Video distribution %

Widgets or Facebook apps %

Display advertising within social networks %

UGC (i.e. for a competition) %

Crowdsourcing ideas %

What do you use social media for? %

Social discovery Inbound editorial citation development To establish industry expertise Recruitment Share non-sales information with customers What do you use social media for? Other, open responses…

Lack of initiative Doesn’t suit us Costs and company attitude No strategy No one person internally who understands it Still trying to get the digital basics right What were your main reasons for not using social media? Open responses… “We are trying to work out its role in FMCG. It’s only useful if there is something to talk about and quite often with FMCG brands there is not much to talk about. Unless you create it…

What do you think are the main challenges for the social media industry? %

Challenges? I see it has great potential! Addressing client ‘fear’ Gaining buy-in Distinction between paid-for and earned Responding to such a large audience Time/resources within clients to manage What do you think are the main challenges for the social media industry? Other, open responses…

What kind of social media research would help you do your job better? %

Approximate % of digital marketing budget spent on social media year-on-year… % Digital marketing budget allocation

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