subject: To Strategize or Not to Strategize: The Social Media Question for Businesses [print this page] To Strategize or Not to Strategize: The Social Media Question for Businesses
Shocking results from a recent study of 100 companies reveal that many companies utilizing social media are flying blind with no strategy to back up their efforts. Reportedly, 78% percent of corporate respondents said their company is using social media but only 41% say they have a strategic plan in place to guide them, according to a new study from marketing firm Digital Brand Expressions.
So what does this mean? 41% of companies large and small are engaging with their audience on social media channels but don't know why or how to tie it into their brand strategy? Of the companies surveyed that did have a social media strategy, 94% say that marketing activities are included in the plan; 71% said public relations were factored into the equation; and 55% say that they use social media for sales-related activities. ~As reported by Media Post
And even odder is that the companies that have a plan in place, only 29% have put out any policy or communication protocol to employees. So if you're a brand that's utilizing your work force to start-up conversations on your social media channels, as far as they know they can talk about the party they went to last weekend instead of your new fall shoe collection. Does this make any sense? And another 71% say they are readying protocols and policies for ongoing social media communications, including how to respond to positive/negative comments on social media Web sites.
Are you ready for the bright side? The study also showed that 69% have set up metrics to track and measure ROI of their activities and 71% have a plan to monitor their brand's reputation across various social media sites. If you look at brands that are really channeling social media into a new sales vehicle, like the Buckle, Carhartt or Chick-fil-A you'll see that not only do they have a cohesive brand strategy but they are also tracking results. Carhartt and Chick-fil-A both have a store locator console built into their Facebook fan pages now also so they can see who is looking up stores, how they are sorting the results, how many are emailing or texting driving directions, Etc. This is amazing insight for the brand. Chick-fil-A offers its fans coupons and unique local promotions and even conducts surveys and polls based on current news and their latest products.
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