Here’s yet another one for our list of things that make you go “hmm.” It’s a study released by COLLOQUY and the Direct Marketing Association about social media and marketing and it contains a number of interesting facts along with the aforementioned “hmms”. But maybe I’m overreacting so let’s put it out there and see what you think.
The study points out that social media use by marketers is growing but is still in the “experimental” stage. I’m not sure, but what I think that means is that marketers have no clue, for the most part, about what it is or how to use it effectively. There seem to be three major purposes – customer acquisition , customer loyalty, and brand awareness – and none of them seem to be addressed effectively according to the study.
For example:
- When asked what percentage of their company’s overall marketing budget is spent on social media, the largest group, covering 24% of survey takers, selected “don’t know”
- When asked to identify the most important measure of social media success, nearly two-thirds of respondents selected “don’t know”
- 65% of respondents said they’re not using any listening tools to monitor what their customers are saying about their brand.
So the above kind of raises a question in my mind:
What the hell are you doing?
Without goals, without objectives, without measurement, and without feedback, they’re not marketing. Frankly, I don’t know what they’re doing. But I do know one thing: the onus is on them to be more professional in their approach as well as on social media companies to help marketers figure this out before the few dollars being spent in the space currently are loudly proclaimed to be “a waste”. And if you guys need help, I’m here. Our operators are standing by!
Your thoughts?
Consult Keith 