Market research firm World Wide Worx today released their South African Social Media Landscape 2012 study, which has found that local companies and corporations have largely adopted some form of social media interaction with their customers.
The study also found that while some 95% of major South African brands have taken to social media, only 51% of those believe that they are effective while interacting with consumers via Facebook. The number drops to 33% for Twitter.
World Wide Worx Arthur Goldstuck said “The survey shows that corporate South Africa has woken up to social media, but it hasn’t yet figured out how to dress for the role. Most large companies are still neutral on the impact of social media, and are still feeling their way.”
Among the findings announced today are:
• 49% of South African corporations surveyed leave social media in the hands of a marketing team, while 18% allocate it to public relations and a further 18% outsource it;
• The most commonly cited reason for using social media is as an effective PR channel, with 70% of brands using it for this purpose, while 62% use it as a core part of their marketing campaigns;
• Sales represent a key element of social media for corporations, with 43% using it for customer lead generation;
• Only 13% of companies are using social media specifically because their competitors are using it;
• Most companies intend to make investments in training their current people in social media best practices. A full 36% intend to use specialist social media agencies to assist in their social media PR and marketing. Only 15% say their skills are optimal.
Goldstuck said “The survey shows that companies haven’t quite figured out what is more important. It comes down to separating volume from value, and that takes time and energy, rather than just a dashboard of numbers.”
Source: World Wide Worx
