â–¶ Communications Pros Want Execs to Talk Back: A survey of communications and HR execs conducted by Heyman Associates reveals that while 71% of respondents report getting the right amount of information about the state of their company during the recession, many want more opportunities to use social media and have face-to-face interactions with company leaders.
When asked who in their company is speaking with them about the current state of affairs, respondents gave the following answers:
• CEO: 85%
• Department head: 43%
• Direct manager: 35%
• CFO: 30%
• HR representative: 15%
• No one: 5%
When asked who they would like to see communicating with them more, respondents said:
• CEO: 33%
• Department head: 16%
• Direct manager: 15%
• CFO: 14%
• HR: 9%
When asked how they would improve the way they receive information about their company, the breakdown was as follows:
• 65% want increased informal in-person communication;
• 50% want increased formal in-person meetings; and,
• 31% want increased formal written materials.
Source: Heyman Associates
â–¶ Digital Marketing Efforts Fall Short: CMOs believe their companies are under-delivering in the area of digital marketing, according to a survey of C-suite execs conducted by Heidrick & Struggles International. Among the findings:
• Disconnect in Digital Capabilities: Nearly 75% of respondents described themselves personally as “at the cutting edge” or “right where they should be” in terms of digital marketing capabilities, while 60% said their companies are “behind the curve.”
• Digital Marketing Proficiency Highly Valued but Under-Delivered: 49% of respondents agreed that it is important for the CMO to be proficient in digital marketing, but only 13% said their companies develop the internal talent required to implement growth-generating digital marketing programs.
• Overreliance on Outside Agencies: To fill the capability gaps in digital talent within their organizations, 45% reported feeling like they needed to turn to external partners and agencies.
• Analytics and SEO Score Big, New Media Advertising Lags: The top four marketing tactics for growth cited were return on marketing investment (ROMI) analysis, Web site activity analysis, customer relations management (CRM) tools and SEO. Video and mobile ads and contests/promotions were at the bottom of the list.
Source: Heidrick & Struggles
â–¶ Online Communications = Entertainment: According to a report on social networking trends conducted by Netpop Research, social networking among U.S. broadband users has jumped 93% since 2006, and it has increased the amount of time people spend communicating online by 18%. Additional findings include:
• E-mail is the most popular mode of online communication;
• Photos are the most common type of information shared online, and podcasts are the least common;
• Blogs are more likely than other forms of content to be shared with co-workers and the public; and,
• 54% of microbloggers tweet daily.
These findings have many implications for marketers and others with a stake in the social media world, according to the report. Among them:
• Web sites need to give more space to user-generated content to connect directly with users, or users will create their own venues that are harder for companies to track and participate with effectively. Gartner recently released research to support this idea, suggesting that online newspapers in particular should employ more social media content.
• Marketing, customer service and consumer intelligence departments need to converge to understand and address the impact of social media.
• New ways of engaging consumers must be developed that enable companies to listen to and promote their brands through information sharing based on mutual respect and transparent communication. PRN
Source: Netpop Research