social media survey (belgium) results
TRANSCRIPT
Social Media Surveyresult outline
Author: Rob van Alphen
“There has been a fundamental shift in our culture and it has created a new landscape of influencers and an entirely new ecosystem for supporting the socialization of information --thus facilitating new conversations that can start locally, but have a global impact. Monologue has given way to dialogue. Social media is not a game played from the sidelines. Those who participate will succeed – everyone else will either have to catch up or miss the game altogether.”
(Solis in Holtz en Havens, 2008)
about the studyThis survey is part of my thesis: ‘Research into the development of social media strategies in external organizational communication’, for obtaining a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies at the Free University of Brussels.
Main research questions: perception of social media amongst marketing- and public relations professionals in Flanders degree of social media adoption in the communication strategy
* !! a detailed analysis, including correlations etc., can be found in my thesis (dutch only):
→ Scribd – thesis (full version)
introductionFor the first time in history, technologie has reached a point where everyone has a voice. This voice, articulated by social media, has given rise to new communication structures. Consumers are now produsers and companies need to understand how communication-flows are affected by these changes, and how new technologies can be used to their advantage.
social media?Many different definitions caused by a term which is twofold:
“digital applications that enable interaction and collaboration in such a way that users become participants that are strengthened through the network” (Punie, 2008)
– Social networking sites– Forum / Bulletin Board– Social bookmarking – Blog– Multimedia sharing– Virtual world– Podcast / Vodcast– Wiki– RSS– Microblog
profile respondents Duration survey: April-May 2009 354 respondents
– 277 from Flanders, Belgium– 127 completed
• Sex: – M: 58,4%– F: 41,6%
• Age: – <25y: 12,8%– 26-35y: 47,2%– 36-50y: 35,2%– 50+: 4,8%
• Function: – Marketing: 58,4%– PR: 19,2%
• Work experience: – 0-2y: 25,6%– 3-5y: 22,4%– 5-10y: 25,6%– 10+: 26,4%
• Company sector: – Media / Adv. / Comm.: 58,1%
• Company size: – SME: 73,3%
familiarity How familiar are you with the notion 'social media'?:
2,5%
62,1%
4,3%5,8%
25,3%
0%
10%20%
30%
40%
50%60%
70%
Not at allfamiliar
Not veryfamiliar
Somewhatfamiliar
Quite familiar Very familiar
N=277
Almost 9 in 10 marketing- and public relations professionals find themselves quite to very familiar with the term ‘social media’
familiarity To what extent do you consider yourself knowledgeable about the
following social media tools?:
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Not knowledgeable (1+2) 2,2% 25,6% 46,3% 12,7% 5,3% 47,2% 34,8% 40,4% 6,6% 20,2%Very knowledgeable (4+5) 88,1% 54,9% 34,4% 65,8% 81,7% 24,3% 45,8% 44,3% 80,6% 60,5%
Social network Forum Bookmar
king Blog Online video
Virtual world
P odcast/Vodcast Microblog Wiki RSS
Overall marketing/pr professionals seem to find themselves fairly knowledgeable about the different social media, but are least familiar with the more recent tools.
• Most knowledgeable: social networks, online video, wiki
• Least knowledgeable: social bookmarking, microblog, virtual worlds
n= 277
tools used Which of the following tools has your organization used in at least
one campaign?:
46,3%
24,7%
55,1%
51,1%
22,5%
41,9%
31,7% 67,4%
29,1%
28,2%
15,0%
27,3%
27,8%
22,5%
20,7%
10,1%
19,8%
26,4%
15,0%
23,8%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
RSS
Wiki
Microblog
Podcast/Vodcast
Virtual world
Online video
Blog
Bookmarking
Forum
Social network
Have used Will use in 12 months
Overall high degree of adoption:
• 84% said to have used at least one social media tool in their external communication
• 15,9% of companies never used social media, but 43% say they will use within 12 months
• Adoption of social bookmarking and microblogging will probably see largest increase in 2009*
(* detailed analysis: see pdf thesis)
n= 277
duration use Since how long has your company been using social media for
professional purposes?:
8,8%11,9%
24,4%
35,0%
11,9% 8,1%
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
< 3 m. < 6 m. < 1 jaar 1-2 jaar 2-3 jaar > 3 jaar
Professional adoption of social media is a very recent phenomenon:
• 45% have used social media less than one year
• Only 20% have been using social media for more than 2 years
* excluded those who never used social media
n= 160
available personnel Do you have dedicated personnel for social media in your
organization?:
18,5%
28,3%
3,3% 2,2%
47,8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Full-time Part-time None Externalsupport
PR/Advertisingagency
Premature phase of social media adoption:
• Half of companies does not have any available personnel for social media
• Mostly a part-time responsability
• Few organizations outsource their social media activities
n= 184
responsible Who in your organization is (should be) (mainly) responsible?:
(should be if the company had no one responsible for social media)
2,4%
6,1%1,8%
1,8%
47,6%
6,7%
15,9%17,7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Other
I TSenior management
Sales
New group
Cross-functional groupPR
(Interactive) Marketing
• Half of the respondents believe social media is the responsability of the marketing department
• A cross-functional group, which is advised in most litterature, is believed to be the best scenario by 16% of respondents
n= 164
reasons driving adoption What, according to you, are the main reasons driving social media
adoption?:
20,2%23,6%
35,4%40,4%41,0%
46,6%56,7%
17,4%19,1%
27,5%29,2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Competitive intelligenceDrive sales
I t's the hot ideaCustomer satisfaction
Increase ROISEO
Respond customer needsConsumer insight
Active feedbackMaximize campaign eff.
Comm. potential cust.
• Social media seems to prove its value most as a complementary and supplementary instrument in the communication strategy
• Benefits relating to ‘customer service’ are also highly ranked
• Increase ROI or sales isn’t considered the main benefit
n= 178
benefits What, according to you, are the main benefits of social media
marketing?:
10,7%
32,0%35,4%36,0%
50,6%65,2%
11,2%27,5%
38,8%
28,7%28,7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Market researchExpert positioning
Credibility of the crowdCustomer insights
Reach new customersSpeed of feedback
Customer engagementReach
Low costDirect communicationRelationship building
• The main perceived benefits of social media according to marketing- and public relations professionals are related to relationship building
• The low cost associated with social media marketing is also considered an important benefit
n= 178
barriers In what way do you believe the following barriers apply to social
media adoption?:
42,7%
32,2%
13,9%
11,3%
12,3%
20,8%
40,2%
50,0%
50,7%
53,2%
72,2%
30,2%
26,7%
23,9%
28,7%
25,9%
26,4%
26,4%
37,8%
48,5%
69,0%
73,2%
43,0%
45,1%
46,9%
48,3%
35,0%
28,7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Waiting for better technologies
Cost
Limited reach
No perceived benefits
Poor internal communication
Insufficient metrics
Legal concerns
Fear of negative impact on productivity
I nability to break from existing ways of operating
Security concerns
Insufficient capabilities to handle internally
Fear of using unproven technology
Brand/reputation risk
Uncontrollable nature
Not at all + Not very Quite + Very much
Marketers fear the loss of control and the associated risks for brand and security
A lack of internal capabilities is also considered an important barrier to adoption
The fear of using unproven technology brings forth the need for case-studies with a proven ROI
organizational barriers In what way do the following barriers apply to the further success of
social media initiatives in your organization?:
62,0%
53,2%
23,6%
30,2%
31,7%
52,9%
52,5%
51,4%
46,5%
45,1%
48,9%
33,8%
34,2%
16,0%
27,7%
28,8%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Legal/HR/ I T policies
Legal/HR risks
I T doesn't deploy technology
Doesn't understand potential ROI
Leadership doesn't encourage use
Culture doesn't encourage use
Doesn't provide sufficient incentives
Doesn't have skill to implement
Not at all + Not very Quite + Very much
• The lack of internal capabilities is said to be the most significant barrier to social media adoption
• To stimulate social media growth, a company culture and leadership team open for innovation and change is necessary
Respondents do not seem to accurately recognize barriers in their organization, probably due to lack of insight or prejudice
usage Does your company use social media tools for :
4,10%
11,80%
11,80%
12,50%
52,10%
49,70%
45,10%
45,10%
13,90%
46,20%
43,10%
42,40%
43,10%43,10%
36,10%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
To engage inconversations
Measuring
Marketresearch
Customerservice
Monitoring
YesNoI do not know
Overall social media appears to be actively used for the goals mentioned.
• The use of social media for measuring purposes is only used by 1 in 3 companies
• (only) 2 in 3 companies that monitor online conversations, also engage in these conversations
n= 140
metrics Does your company have defined metrics for measuring social
media initiatives?:
28,6%
63,1%
8,3%
YesNoI do not know
• Almost 2 in 3 companies does not have defined metrics for measuring their social media activities
• Only 41% of respondents who indicated that their company uses social media for measuring purposes has defined metrics available
measuring Does measuring happen internal or external?:
83%
17%
I nternalExternal
• Despite the lack of metrics, 8 in 10 respondents indicate that measuring social media initiatives happens internal
guideline Do you think it is important to have a social media policy or
guideline?:
14,6%
3,8%
40,0% 40,8%
0,8%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Not at allimportant
Not veryimportant
Somewhatimportant
Quiteimportant
Veryimportant
Employees can be seen as representatives of the company and can directly affect its reputation, which brings forth the need for ethical principles and guidelines
• 81% of respondents believes having a social media guideline is important to very important …
n= 130
guideline Do you have a social media policy or guideline in place in your
organisation?:
11,5%
74,7%
13,8%
YesNoI do not know
… but 3 in 4 companies do not have a social media guideline in place
importance digital marketing How important do you think digital marketing will become in 2009?:
87,7%
1,5%10,8%
More importantLess importantEqually important
Marketing- and public relations professionals strongly believe the importance of digital marketing will increase in 2009
budget 2009 How will your budget for social media initiatives evolve in 2009?:
25,0%
20,3%
0,8% 0,0% 0,8%
22,7%22,7%
7,8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Nobudget
Nochange
Increase1-10%
Increase11-25%
Increase>25%
Decrease1-10%
Decrease11-25%
Decrease>25%
The perceived increase in importance of social media is reflected in the 2009 budget:
• 50% says their budget for social media will increase
• Only 2 respondents indicated a decrease
• 1 in 4 companies does not have a budget for social media
n= 128
budget 2009 Has the current economic climate influenced your social media
budget to:
23,4%
67,2%
9,4%IncreaseDecreaseNo change/did not influence
Although for most companies the economic climate did have no effect on the budget for social media, 1 in 4 says it has made their budget increase
One could state that in times of economic crisis the budget for social media has a tendency to increase. The perception of a low cost communication tool could be the underlying reason
thesis1. Social media is simply a young persons technology with limited business appeal2. Companies that fail to embrace social media tech. for business purposes will be left behind3. Social media will become a key communications activity with customers4. Social media is a more low-cost way of communicating than traditional media5. As we have entered a possible economic downturn we need to focus on new ways of
communicating with customers which add real value6. Social media will allow us to add value to our customer interactions7. Social media and traditional mainstream media complement each other8. Social media and traditional mainstream media are in conflict with each other9. Since social media have made communications more instantaneous they have forced
organizations to respond more quickly to criticism10. Social media is a hype, it won’t last long11. Social media are more accurate than traditional mainstream media12. Social media are more credible than traditional mainstream media13. Social media are a more trusted information source than traditional mainstream media14. Social media offer organizations a low-cost way to develop relationships with members of
various strategic publics15. Social media are impacting organizational transparency
thesis 7 in 10 say social media will become a key communication tool with their customers
1 in 2 say that companies that fail to embrace social media technologies will be left behind
8 in 10 say social media have forced organizations to respond more quickly to criticism
6 in 10 say social media are impacting organizational transparency
9 in 10 say social media and traditional media are complementary
8 in 10 disagree that social media is a hype
8 in 10 disagree that social media is a young persons technology
thesis graphs
77%
4%
19%
Agree Disagree Neutral
73%
7%
20%
Agree Disagree Neutral
75%
12%
13%
Agree Disagree Neutral
4 5 6
8%
79%
13%
Agree Disagree Neutral
53%
23%
24%
Agree Disagree Neutral
68%
15%
17%
Agree Disagree Neutral
1 2 3
thesis graphs
87%
3%10%
Agree Disagree Neutral
5%
84%
11%
Agree Disagree Neutral
81%
3%
16%
Agree Disagree Neutral
7 8 9
7%15%
78%
Agree Disagree Neutral
19%
37%
44%
Agree Disagree Neutral
18%
43%
39%
Agree Disagree Neutral
10 11 12
thesis graphs24%
34%
42%
Agree Disagree Neutral
68%
20%
12%
Agree Disagree Neutral
62%
30%
8%
Agree Disagree Neutral
13 14 15
conclusion Marketing- and public relations professionals find themselves very familiar with the different
social media tools. The professional use of social media seems to already have a high degree of adoption. Least known and least adopted tools are social bookmarking and microblogs. The future importance attached to social media is significant, and is reflected in the 2009 budget. The main reasons driving adoption are the complementary and supplementary nature of social
media in the communication-mix, as reaching potential customers and maximizing campaign effectiveness.
Relationship building and the direct form of communication are seen as the main benefits. The ‘uncontrollable’ nature of social media, as well as the fear for using ‘unproven’ technologies
and the perceived risks for brand and reputation are the most important barriers to adoption. The lack of internal capabilities and an organizational culture which does not provide sufficient
incentives and is not open for innovation are significant barriers to social media adoption. To accelerate the rate of adoption brings forth the need for case-studies with a proven ROI.
* A detailed conclusion can be found in my thesis (dutch): here
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