Though the adoption of social media by brands has grown phenomenally, brands are still not actively monitoring the impact of social media on their businesses.
According to a recent research conducted by EPiServer, only 1 in 10 brands in the UK effectively measure the ROI of their social media outreach, in spite of the fact that more than half of these brands have increased their investment in social media over the last one year.
The EPiServer study, ‘Tackling the social challenge’, analyzed the opinions of 250 UK brand marketers and found that 65 percent of the brands have a presence on Facebook, and 60 percent use Twitter. The study also points out that over the past year, 29% of UK businesses have set up a new social media account, and 52% have increased the amount of time spent managing social media accounts.
A quarter of businesses reported that they have seen an increase in website traffic, while one in five (21%) attribute an increased sales turnover to the active use of social media. Just under a third (30%) also said they’ve experienced increased customer loyalty, and 31% report heightened customer engagement.
Even through businesses are actively using social media and acknowledging its benefits, not many are engaging in measuring the ROI from their social media outreach. Just 22 percent of companies have a dedicated social media manager and only 6 percent manage their social presence in-house.
“While an increasing number of businesses are embracing social media, there are clearly areas for improvement if they are to take full advantage. Managing social media can be challenging and time-consuming, so it’s vital to put in place a dedicated resource, along with the right tools and platforms to ensure multiple channels can be updated and managed with ease,” stated Maria Wasing, VP of Marketing Europe & Sales Operations, EPiServer.
For more details, read the complete EPiServer study here.
Posted by david ricketts 
