Not to put you on the spot, but are you feeling overwhelmed with your social media campaigns? Are you having a hard time making sense of your social media outreach and the impact it may or may not be having on your ecommerce brand? A marketing industry survey issued by Alterian indicates you’re not alone. Here are a few interesting swatches taken from a study of nearly 1,500 ecommerce and agency professionals.
• 77% feel their brand is at risk as a result of not engaging customers through social media outlets.
That’s a dramatic number, and one that identifies the fact that because the social media landscape changes so rapidly some companies don’t find it realistic to even try and keep up. Thousands of opinions and conversations have enough influence to potentially reshape or reinvent a company’s brand if it does nothing to interact with an active community. It shouldn’t be a decision companies regret, it should be a marketing asset that is guided by being a dynamic part of it.
• 70% do not regularly report to management about the social media conversations surrounding their brand.
It’s time to get involved. Having 10,000 ‘Likes’ on a company Facebook page is one thing, but steering the conversations that go on there by making regular contributions is something else entirely. With so many professionals admitting they have a marginal understanding about the social media conversations surrounding their brands, it’s no wonder companies are nervous about how they might be perceived, especially if the top brass decision makers have no idea what’s going on.
•75% have plans to increase their social/digital marketing over the next 12 months.
Finally, some cheery news from this report. This number at least indicates that most of the marketing professionals who concede to not taking an active role in social media are looking to better engage their communities and close the gap on any brand misconceptions. Of this number, nearly a quarter of the respondents indicated their social/digital marketing budget would increase by 25 percent or more this year. If implemented and operated with the social community in mind, this kind of marketing spend could produce a social presence capable of carrying long term benefits.
Like it, love it or vaguely even understand it, social media outlets have become a mandatory marketing requirement for any enterprise ecommerce site. Transitioning more authority into the hands of the masses is a concept that many companies have been reluctant to embrace, but contrary to the early pessimism, this is a movement that won’t be fading away anytime soon.
Bonus Social Media Tip:
When the changes in social media outpace my ability to keep up, I like to call my 15 year old nephew to fill me on the latest developments. Test this at your own risk. The very concept of this movement seems to be imbedded into the DNA of today’s youth, but trying to pick the brain of a teenager may present a whole new set of challenges.
—Jared—
Jared Matkin is a staff writer for HotWax Media with a background in PR, Branding and Marketing. He’s also a light-hearted and an opinionated character who will join other HotWax Media employees and advisers in periodically posting his thoughts on topics ranging from enterprise eCommerce to business and technology.
