Marketers Indicate Social Media Important, Most Not Profiting

Social Media

April 2010 – While a majority of marketing professionals and company decision makers view social media as essential to their business, just 35% believe their company has increased revenues or profited from the channel, according to a recent survey by R2integrated, an Internet marketing and technology company.

R2integrated surveyed 262 marketing professionals from leading industries about their perception of social media.  Key results:
 

• 54% of respondents thought social media “innovative and invaluable to their business,” 37% thought social media as “useful and helpful, but could live without it.”

• Despite more than half of all respondents stating that social media was "innovative and invaluable," two-thirds (65%) said that their companies have not increased revenue or profited using social media. 
  
   

Source: eMarketer
 

• Of the 35% who responded that their company had profited or increased revenues using social media were about twice as likely to have a formal social media strategy and were almost twice as likely to have a dedicated headcount for managing social media.

• One-half (50%) of respondents said their company has a  defined social media strategy, while half do not.

• When it comes to using social media, 53% of respondents stated they were “still learning” or “behind the curve."
   

Sources:  eMarketer, Will Social Strategizing Bring ROI?, April 22, 2010. and R2integrated news release, Marketers Indicate Social Media Important, Most Not Profiting, Many Still Learning, April 14, 2010.