Monitoring social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter a challenge for Canadian companies
TORONTO - The Internet has connected the world in such a way that 'Six Degrees of Separation' is probably the norm now. If you try hard enough, more than likely you can find a connection to a total stranger half way around the globe.
Yet, when it comes to businesses engaging with customers (current or potential), Canadian companies have a lot of connectivity issues. According to a SAS/Leger survey of 1,000 Canadian executives, only 17% regularly post to their social media sites and often monitor them for corporate mentions. While 30% said their company posts to social media sites at least several times a week, only 3 in 5 of those often monitor social media conversations.
"While the majority of Canadian companies are engaging in social media, most of them aren't combining the two fundamental pillars - posting information and monitoring what people are saying - with enough frequency to build lasting relationships with their customers," said Katie Delahaye Paine, CEO, KDPaine & Partners.
30% of executives said their company often monitors for corporate social media mentions. For 49% of companies that don't, a lack of resources is the main reason they aren't doing it more often.
"Most executives understand that social media can impact their business, but they perceive the cost of engagement to be prohibitive," said Lori Bieda, Executive Lead Customer Intelligence, SAS Americas. "A great place to start, however, is automating the monitoring process by using advanced analytics software tools to begin listening, which will lead to sharing and, finally, connecting."
24% said social media strategies and tactics are driven by the CEO. 21% said efforts are driven by the director of communications, while 18% cited the chief marketing officer as the corporate social media lead.
"With social media most often driven from the top, and so many options to choose from, it is important that executives have a system in place to figure out what is working or not working to advance the corporate goals," Paine said. "Haphazard use of social media, like posting without regular, consistent monitoring, is not only an ineffective use of resources, but also misses a fantastic opportunity to engage with customers on a personal level."
13% of those surveyed said their company does not engage in social media at all because it is viewed as a waste of time and effort.
By the numbers:
- 17% said their company often monitors for corporate social media mentions and posts to social media sites at least several times a week
- 33% said employees use personal social media accounts to mention company events, news, etc.
- 14% said their company posts to social media channels more than once a day, yet a quarter of those don't often monitor for mention
- 10% of executives said their company monitors for mentions but seldom, if ever, posts to social media sites
- 5% of execs said their company posts to social media sites at least once a week yet seldom, if ever, monitor for mentions
About the Survey
The online survey was conducted for SAS Canada by Leger Marketing, the largest independent Market Research Company in Canada, between January 6th and January 27, 2011 with a representative sample of 1,000 senior-level business decision makers. Large organizations are defined as having more than 500 employees, mid-sized defined as having between 50 to 500 employees. This method simulates a probability sample which would yield a maximum margin of error of +/-3.1%, 19 times out of 20.
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