The results of a recent survey conducted by Leger Marketing for SAS, a business analytics software and services provider, on the use of social media by companies have been published today: only 1 in 5 Canadian companies post on social media networks and monitor social media conversations on a regular basis. These two actions are considered the fundamental pillars of effectively using social media.
A lack of resources and a view that it is a waste of time and energy are cited as explanations as to why companies choose not to use social media or not to monitor mentions of their organizations in social media conversations.
This survey was conducted among 1,000 executives at mid-size and large companies.
These results may be somewhat surprising to some given the extensive role social media plays in our daily lives. However, most individuals who do use social media regularly, whether for personal or professional reasons, know that it is quite a commitment that perhaps not everyone is willing to take on. Given the impact social media can have, do you think these statistics will increase exponentially in the next few years?
These statistics are certainly not surprising. The fact that only one in five Canadian companies post on social media networks and monitor social media regularly is part and parcel of the fact that most of these businesses are busy and just don't see social media as a quick way to get where they're going. However, my experience is somewhat different. As a regular poster to social media networks I use tools tips and strategies to communicate with these networks with the clicks a single buttons saving time and energy. The challenge for most businesses is that most of them cannot navigate this area along. It takes too long to learn and there's too much misinformation in the market. What I usually suggest people is that you find somebody who's making it work for them and you learn from them. Information is not always as it seems for example if you were to choose which social media networks to post to which ones would they be? And then if you did finally social networks what ways can you streamline the process? For example what software do you use? What websites do you use? How do you affect Google rankings using social media? Obviously these questions are endless and we could go on and on all day. Do I believe that the statistics will increased exponentially in the next few years? They will increase but certainly not exponentially. Most people just don't figure that there are have two is on the way to their wantons and are not prepared to learn anything let alone social media. I call these people know it alls and in my social media training courses in Toronto I always stress the importance of getting the information from the right sources first and then implementing an information based on their experience. It's very difficult to amass experience unless you know what to do first. Thanks for the great article I look forward to more.