• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 2, 2013

According to a recent Ragan/NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions survey, 65% of respondents do social media on top of their other duties. Of the 27% who handle social media exclusively, nearly 83% work on teams of three or fewer.

Additional major findings in key areas are summarized in the report:

• 69% are dissatisfied or only “somewhat satisfied” with how they measure social media
• 31% are satisfied or very satisfied. Many say they lack the time to track data or aren’t even sure what to measure
• 28% saw their budgets, excluding salaries and benefits, increase this year
• 69% say budgets stayed the same. Prospects were only slightly better for 2013, with 62% of budgets remaining static  
• 13% describe their social media efforts as advanced. About half say “We keep our heads above water, but not by much.”
• 23% describe themselves as “newbies”  

Numerous departments are “involved” in ownership of social media responsibilities. Slightly more than 70% of respondents say marketing is involved, with 69% reporting that public relations played a role. Corporate communications trailed, with 49%.  

Most organizations don’t have an employee who focuses exclusively on social media. 65% of respondents do social media on top of their other duties. For those who do social media exclusively, nearly 83% work on teams of three or fewer. 42% say only one person works exclusively on social media, while only 9% report teams of more than six people. 

 68% of respondents didn’t expand their social media department in 2012, and 78% don’t plan to hire in 2013. 25% of respondents say an intern helps with some aspect of social media, while the remainder responded “No way!”  Of those who have interns involved, Facebook is the most popular place for them to help out, with 78% participating. That compares with 69% for Twitter and 29% for YouTube.

Regarding qualifications for hiring for social media responsibilities, 45% say they rely on a combination of degree and experience; 25% weigh experience above all; 18% consider writing skills foremost. Only a few say they rely on degree alone. 47% sought one to three years of experience, 44% required three to five years, 9% wanted more than that.

An education in communications (77%) or public relations (76%) is most highly valued (multiple response OK). Only 20% felt English majors would be better candidates, compared with 42% for journalism.

The report says that 69% are dissatisfied or only “somewhat satisfied” with how they measure social media. Only 26% are satisfied, while 5% are very satisfied.

86% of respondents said they measure social media interaction and engagement, including followers, fans and “likes.” 74% track Web traffic, while 58% measure brand reputation. Many respondents felt there is no industry-accepted tool to determine the value of social media efforts. Those say they rely on impressions and general feedback.

86% of respondents monitor what’s being said about their organization, while 77% monitor industry news, trends and events. 57% monitor their competitors.  Some organizations only monitor and respond to posts on their pages, rather than seeking out tweets and other social media comments, says the report.

Nearly 59% use free tools for measurement, while 35% use both free and paid. 6% rely on paid alone. Among paid tools, HootSuite holds a plurality, with 31%, followed by Radian6 (25%). Many individuals did no tracking or couldn’t name their tools. 42% answered variations of “none,” “don’t know,” or “N/A” when asked what tools they use.

23% listed budgets (excluding salaries and benefits) of less than $1,000. About 27% had budgets exceeding $50,000, with just 14% exceeding $100,000. 

The reasons for the use of social media for marketing are varied, says the report:

• 87% said to increase brand awareness the top goal of social media marketing. 62% sought to boost Web traffic.  61% want to improve the organization’s reputation
• Many use social media to promote thought leadership. Some say their goals are to listen and learn, and a teaching hospital uses the new digital platforms to recruit faculty, staff and medical residents
• Improving search engine optimization, engaging current customers, expanding a donor base, and building a community of donors all were goals that respondents mentioned

The survey reveals a multi departmental approach to social media within most corporations, nonprofits and government agencies.

• 70% of respondents say marketing is involved in their social media marketing activities
• 69% report that public relations plays a role.
• 49% include corporate communications
• 26% of respondents said the advertising department plays a role
• 19% involve customer service
• 17% include IT
• 14% include lawyers.

With so many departments involved, Marketing leads among those to whom social media reports, with 29%. The CEO ranks next, with 20% of respondents saying they report to that position. Corporate communications (18%) and public relations (17%) follow close behind. 

For more information and complete PDF file, please visit here.