Six out of ten companies are present on Facebook
Results of an InSites Consulting survey in collaboration with sample and data collection partner SII and translation agency No Problem!
20 JUNE 2012, NEW YORK - LONDON - GHENT - ROTTERDAM
Summary
Not only consumers find their way onto the popular social network sites, an increasing number of companies also use it. 61% of the American companies use Facebook, 39% have a Twitter account, 29% are present on LinkedIn and 24% use YouTube. This proves that American companies have evolved further in their social media usage in comparison with companies in Europe.Key conclusions:
- High social media usage in companies. Usage in the United States is higher than in Europe.
- Even in cases of high usage, the social media approach is too often still disconnected from the general company management.
- Six out of ten American companies listen to consumer conversations on social media.
- Eight out of ten American companies answer client questions and complaints via social media.
- A digital gap is growing in the corporate world. Companies which are currently not yet investing in digital media are not planning to do so. Companies which are already investing a lot will do so even more in future.
Six out of ten companies are present on Facebook, 39% on Twitter
Not only consumers find their way onto the popular social network sites, an increasing number of companies also use it. 61% of the American companies use Facebook, 39% have a Twitter account, 29% are present on LinkedIn and 24% use YouTube. This proves that American companies have evolved further in their social media usage in comparison with companies in Europe.
High usage but low integration of social media
The survey showed that companies find it very important to be present on social network sites. However this does not always mean their method is well thought-out. A mere 12% of the companies are integrating their social media approach into their overall corporate strategy. 15% are mid integration. 44% are currently experimenting or taking their first steps on the social web. 29% of the companies are not even doing anything on social media. These numbers are very comparable in the US and in Europe. As for social media integration, the Netherlands are even ahead.
“A huge number of companies feel the external pressure to be present on social media. Unfortunately this only too frequently results in corporate pages where nothing is really happening. So they create enthusiasm in their customers which in the end turns into disappointment.” states Prof Steven Van Belleghem, partner at the research agency InSites Consulting.
40% listen to conversations between consumers on social media
Four out of ten companies listen to what consumers say about them on social network sites. “Social media make conversations between consumers very transparent. It is the first time that a company can quite easily discover what people are saying about its products and services. An increasingly growing group is strongly interested (with good reason) in this real-time feedback from the market”, declares Van Belleghem.
Answering questions via social media is very successful. 69% of the companies indicate always dealing with questions or complaints sent to them via social media. Only 26% of the companies in this survey also talk to consumers. This is where the American companies are clearly way ahead of their European counterparts.
A digital gap is emerging in the corporate world
Chances are that there will soon be a digital gap in the corporate world. This survey has shown that companies which are already investing a lot in new media will do so even more in the future. Companies which are not investing much yet are not intending to do so. “Even though there is a clear digital evolution among clients, there are still companiess that are not convinced that they too have to go with the evolution. The risk for these companies is that, in a rather short term, they will miss out on an important target group.” concludes Van Belleghem.
About the survey:
These conclusions come from a survey organised by InSites Consulting, together with sample and data collection partner SSI and the translation agency No Problem!. A total of 1,222 top managers were interviewed from companies (+20fte) in the US, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. http://www.slideshare.net/stevenvanbelleghem/the-4cs-of-the-conversation-company
Quotes
"A huge number of companies feel the external pressure to be present on social media. Unfortunately this only too frequently results in corporate pages where nothing is really happening. So they create enthusiasm in their customers which in the end turns into disappointment." Prof. Steven Van Belleghem, Managing Partner InSites Consulting and author of The Conversation Company
"Social media make conversations between consumers very transparent. It is the first time that a company can quite easily discover what people are saying about its products and services. An increasingly growing group is strongly interested (with good reason) in this real-time feedback from the market." Prof. Steven Van Belleghem, Managing Partner InSites Consulting and author of The Conversation Company
"Even though there is a clear digital evolution among clients, there are still companiess that are not convinced that they too have to go with the evolution. The risk for these companies is that, in a rather short term, they will miss out on an important target group." Prof. Steven Van Belleghem, Managing Partner InSites Consulting and author of The Conversation Company
Images
Documents
About InSites Consulting
InSites Consulting was established in 1997, and although a marketing research company, the founders never really wanted to be market researchers. InSites Consulting really is a crazy blend of academic visionaries, passionate marketers and research innovators that are determined to challenge the status quo of marketing research. Over the last 10 years the company has grown at an amazing 35% per year. Today, there’s more than 130 employees working in five offices (BE, NL, UK, RO, US) getting their energy from helping world leading brands to improve their marketing efforts and to develop deeper connections with consumers on a global scale via Research Communities. InSites Consulting is rewarded with no less than 15 international awards The recipe for success: a never-ceasing enthusiasm, a lot of hard work, a culture of sharing, and permanent innovation in research methods and marketing thought leadership. And last but not least: positively surprising clients every day. More info: www.insites-consulting.com.