Social Media Adoption High At Companies, But Integration Still Low

June 27, 2012

This article is included in these additional categories:

B2B | Brand Metrics | Europe & Middle East | Social Media | Telecom

insitesconsulting-social-media-integration-june2012.pngCompanies around the world are adopting social media as part of their business practices, with 61% in 6 US and European markets on Facebook, 39% on Twitter and 29% on LinkedIn. But, just 12% have fully integrated social media into their business processes, according to a June 2012 report from InSites Consulting, in partnership with SSI and No Problem!.

“Integration” signifies that social media are incorporated into business processes, rather than bolted on. In an integrated company, all employees tend to have access to social media (52% of companies currently claim this), employees are empowered to discuss their work on social media (41%), and employees are encouraged to communicate online with customers and consumers (44%).

Most Companies Are In Process Of Integrating

Data from “The Future of the 4 Cs Of The Conversation Company” indicates that while 29% of companies claim to be doing nothing with social media and 12% claim to have integrated it fully, the remaining 59% are somewhere along the continuum between. Some 27% are in the first steps in social media, while 17% have moved on to the pilot stage. The remaining 15% have completed the pilot, and are integrating social media.

Some Management Holds Out Based On Values

The research concludes that a misalignment between management and company values blocks social media integration. About half of top management feel that their personal values do not fit those of the companies they work for, and 37% claim that their company values are not clear to all employees. These managers tend to invest less in social media. The researchers speculate that those managers are intimidated by the “transparency, openness and authenticity” of the media, even internally: just 38% companies claim to?share the results of customer conversations with their employees, leaving the employees in the dark as to customer complaints or satisfaction.

Data from recent research from Allstate/National Journal indicates that, at least among consumers, social media engagement is expected from the companies with which they deal. Some 64% of social media users want to see an increase in companies using social media to respond to customer questions and complaints.

Other Findings:

  • Business-to-business (B2B) companies are far more active on LinkedIn than business-to-consumer (B2C) companies (41% vs. 25%, for companies of 500+ employees).
  • Companies that sell both products and services are more likely to use social media than those who sell products or services alone. 5% of service providers are on Facebook, compared to 60% of product makers and 70% for products & services companies.
  • American companies lead in social media adoption, with 80% on Facebook and 48% on LinkedIn.
  • Media companies are the most active on Facebook and Twitter, at 78% and 67%, respectively. Technology and telco companies are next, with 67% and 52% adoption, respectively. Media companies are also the most active on YouTube, at 46%, over second-place technology and telco, with 36%.

About the Data: InSites Consulting together with sample and data collection partner SSI and the translation agency No Problem! conducted a quantitative online survey among 1,222 senior managers from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, the US and the UK. Respondents were senior or top managers from companies with 20+ full time employees, across business sectors.

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