In November 2010, internet marketing agency R2i surveyed 296 marketing professionals at a mix of B2B and B2C companies about their social media marketing strategies, and found that 36% of respondents had been able to use social media to make a conversion from initial connection to sale, and 25% said they were “getting close” to having done so.
The Big Social Media Challenge: Not Enough Time
Asked about their greatest anticipated challenges with social media marketing in 2011, “time and resources” was cited by 45% of respondents. This was also the highest response when it comes to barriers to entry into social media, with 42% selecting “time and resources,” and 38% said that their biggest mistake with social media was not allocating proper “time and resources.” One-third–29%–of the companies surveyed have a dedicated staff, with an additional 11% planning to hire staff in 2011.
The second-largest barrier to entry was skepticism of return (21%), followed by “too many platforms” (12%) and “excutive buy in” (11%).
What’s Your Social Media Business Strategy?
44% of the companies surveyed said that they have a defined social media strategy. 31% use it primarily for publishing content, 27% for business development/lead generation and 12% primarily for public relations.
New Real-Time Business Technologies
The Companies surveyed plan to explore new technologies: about one-third will be investing in or intestigating geo-location; about one-fifth will look at social buying and QR codes.
Click here to see the full report: http://www.r2integrated.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=0BIzWUDujcE%3d&tabid=2153.
