â–¶ Tech Brands’ Twitter Trouble: A study by Wildfire PR found that while 90% of technology companies have a presence on two or more social networks, a significant majority are not actively using these networks to engage with audiences. Case in point: 43% of surveyed brands with a Twitter account have never replied to a tweet, and only 25% of brands reply to followers’ comments on their Facebook accounts. Other findings include:
• Twitter was the most popular network used (74%), followed by Linkedin (72%) and then Facebook (20%). Nearly half (48%) have a blog.
• How do tech brands leverage social media? For the majority, to send marketing messages and corporate content: 60% of companies with a Facebook page use it purely as a distribution channel; 57% of companies with a Twitter account use it solely for one-way marketing activity; and only 25% of blogs receive comments on a regular basis.
• These companies could better position their social media efforts: Only 34% of companies attached a link to their social network accounts from their Web site homepage; only 18% link to a Twitter account; 2% link to Facebook; and 22% featured their blog.
Source: Wildfire PR
â–¶ Hurdles to Global Brand Expansion: Buddy Media and Harris Interactive surveyed 105 senior marketing executives and found that a substantial majority are still struggling to deliver global campaigns with consistent branding. Ninety-three percent said that reaching customers across the world with a “unified brand message” was either very or somewhat challenging. Other findings:
• Eighty-nine percent regarded “identifying cost-effective tactics” as a leading hurdle for developing these campaigns. Other major hurdles included “managing overall outlay” (88%) and “determining the best channels to employ” (81%). Tracking return on investment, leveraging social media and finding appropriate local partners were tied at 70%.
• When asked to choose which marketing tools were typically the most effective, 81% of the brand managers polled selected “Web sites tailored to the local market.” Effective lead channels were print advertising (72%), television (60%) and radio and social media fan pages (tied at 54%).
• Addressing social networking specifically, 72% of respondents agreed that the medium would be an effective tool to reach consumers. Some 57% of participants were active on Facebook.
• The primary obstacles to harnessing social media engagement in global campaigns included proving the payback on this activity (48%) and managing and maintaining information (45%). PRN
Source: Harris Interactive, Buddy Media