Social Media Study: Brands Engage Employees, Not Clients

July 20, 2012 - 4 minutes read - Blog, In the News..., Social Media

Social Media Is Transforming Business Operations.

The newly released 2012 FedEx/Ketchum Social Media Benchmarking Study reveals how social platforms are being used to further business goals and create more value for today’s brands. Over the past year, 85 percent of companies surveyed said they have seen employee engagement increase as a direct result of social networking activity. Businesses are using social media as a tool to strengthen relationships with employees, tap individual expertise, and foster collaboration.

The study also found that:

• 69 percent of businesses use social media to enhance their reputation with existing clients.
• 68 percent of businesses use social media to enhance their reputation with the general public.
• Over half of all businesses say they are becoming more “relationship-focused.”
• 51 percent of businesses feel they are doing an “effective” job strengthening relationships with clients.  

Business Leaders Perceive Real Value In Improving Their Social Media Strategies.

Tyler Durham, partner and managing director of Ketchum Pleon Change, explains, “…Internal engagement between the company and its employees, and empowerment of employees to represent the brand externally… support the move toward true social business and will ultimately foster real business results in terms of employee retention, engagement and productivity.”

What began as a buzzworthy trend has now become standard practice. “Social media is now an everyday part of the conversation,” Peter Osborne, Communications Executive at Bank of America.

For Many Brands, The Challenges Remain Great.

Unfortunately, the move to social media remains a challenge for brands big and small. While there is no doubt social media has changed the way we market out businesses, many organizations are slow to find effective ways to connect with their audiences in meaningful ways. “The rise of social media is both the biggest business communications challenge and opportunity in decades,” said Bill Margaritis, senior vice president of Global Communications and Investor Relations at FedEx.

For starters, nearly half of all major brands do not feel they are doing a very effective job at using social media to build relationships with clients. That is a troubling figure! Furthermore, brands are still struggling to find more effective measurements of Return On Investment. According to the analysis, 84 percent measure engagement; 69 percent track impressions; 53 percent analyze influence; and 51 percent assess tone.

In looking for ways to crack the ROI measurement code, 84 percent of the companies that measure social media focus on engagement, while 69 percent track impressions, 53 percent analyze influence and 51 percent assess tone. Social media score cards are being used by many organizations, although 84 percent of those surveyed admitted there are “some aspects of marketing that cannot be measured.”

Would You Like A Free Assessment of Your Social Media Strategy?

Mod Girl Marketing offers one-on-one consultations to discuss your social media strategy and brand presence. We also have a dedicated team of graphic designers, writers, SEO professionals, online marketers and social media gurus on hand to drive greater engagement and help you get better results. Whether you need help creating a winning campaign, you’d like a redesign of your social media site, or you just need a few tweets written up, the Mod Girls can help!

Tags: Business Communications, Business Goals, Business Leaders, Business Operations, Business Results, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Foster Collaboration, Media Strategies, Networking Activity, Peter Osborne, Social Business, Social Media, social media 2012, social media strategy, social media study, social media study 2012, Social Networking