Enterprises See Social’s Value in Customer and Influencer Engagement

October 27, 2014

Hootsuite-Enterprises-on-Social-Medias-Value-Oct2014Almost 9 in 10 enterprise organizations agree that their social media presence is important to stay competitive, according to results from a Hootsuite survey of more than 750 respondents across 8 countries. The survey reveals that respondents are most likely to see the value of social for enhancing relationships with existing customers (84%) and for engaging with influencers (also 84%).

There was similarly broad agreement among respondents that social is valuable for learning about the company’s reputation (81%), monitoring external communication (79%), and resolving customer complaints and questions (73%). Fewer see its benefits in terms of vetting potential employees (54%).

While social has perceived benefits, making them actionable – and measurable – continues to be difficult for many marketers. For example, two-thirds find it challenging to assess the effectiveness of their activities – with this result supporting other data which has found three-quarters of enterprises to be having difficulties measuring the business value created by social marketing tactics.

Meanwhile, 6 in 10 respondents to the Hootsuite survey experience difficulties in taking data gathered from social media and turning it into something actionable, and only 4 in 10 agree that they’re fully capitalizing on the data that they do capture.

These results are yet another indication that while social media marketing is perceived as essential, organizations are having difficulty proving its value.

Enterprise organizations are having difficulties in areas other than ROI, though. Hootsuite also notes that more than 6 in 10 find it difficult to create a social media strategy, and 54% cite alignment across departments as a challenge. Even among those who say their strategy is somewhat aligned, almost two-thirds reported difficulties in doing so. With more than 7 in 10 agreeing that the number of departments using social media at their organizations is growing, creating an aligned strategy will only become more necessary.

About the Data: The survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Hootsuite. More than 750 interviews were collected among current or prospective clients of Hootsuite in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Interviews were conducted in English and took place between January 7, 2014 and October 1, 2014. Invitations were sent by Harris Poll and no mention of Hootsuite was made.

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