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March 12, 2009
Best-in-Class Companies Are Tapping into Social Networking, Aberdeen Survey Finds
By Rajani Baburajan, TMCnet Contributor
The world’s most successful organizations have tools and methodologies to drive marketing ROI by listening to, and learning from, customers and prospects, according to “The ROI on Social Media Marketing,” a survey from Aberdeen (News - Alert) Group.
Successful organizations are tapping consumers who are participating in social sites such as blogs, wikis and Twitter, according to the survey, co-sponsored by Visible Technologies.
Successful organizations are tapping consumers who are participating in social sites such as blogs, wikis and Twitter, according to the survey, co-sponsored by Visible Technologies.
According to the survey, leading companies are integrating digital channels effectively into their marketing campaigns by developing processes and using software platforms to monitor, measure and support consumer interaction in social media conversations.
Around 68 percent of the companies gauged best-in-class have a process for monitoring social media. However, only a third of average companies and fewer than one in five of laggard organizations have a monitoring process in place, according to the survey.
Leading companies use a number of approaches to identify the individuals and to track changes in their influence over time. For instance, platforms like Visible Technologies' TruCast help brands including Microsoft (News - Alert), GM and Hormel to measure the effectiveness of social interactions.
Leading companies use a number of approaches to identify the individuals and to track changes in their influence over time. For instance, platforms like Visible Technologies' TruCast help brands including Microsoft (News - Alert), GM and Hormel to measure the effectiveness of social interactions.
“Despite the ongoing economic environment, companies need to directly connect with consumers through new digital channels to increase marketing ROI,” said report author Jeff Zabin, research fellow with Aberdeen's customer management practice, in a statement.
Companies engage top influencers as brand evangelists, and track the impact of their words and actions in terms of return on marketing investment.
“Companies exploring online engagement can use the Aberdeen findings to help build best practices to listen and learn from their brand advocates and detractors to determine where the most influential conversations are happening,” said Blake Cahill, senior vice president of marketing, Visible Technologies, in a statement.
According to the survey, there is enormous potential for social media monitoring tools and platforms. Fewer than half of the best-in-class respondents indicated they use tools and platforms to strengthen their social media monitoring process, and only 40 percent had defined metrics for measuring social media monitoring effectiveness.
Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Patrick Barnard
