â–¶ Fortune Favors the Bold: A recent survey of CFOs at Fortune 1000 companies, conducted by DiMassimo Goldstein (DIGO), offers insight into topics ranging from marketing budgets and expenditures to social media use. Among the findings:
• 44% of those surveyed said their CMO has a smaller marketing budget this year, and 38% are “keeping a close eye on it”;
• 60% said they are personally making less money today than they were three years ago;
• When asked if their companies were doing better or worse than three years ago, 16% said better; 22% said worse; 27% said “worse, but I feel like we are heading in a better direction”; and 26% said they will have a better read next quarter;
• 36% believe that the current economic climate means that new social marketing initiatives should be postponed, while 36% believe it means they should be accelerated;
• When asked how they view last year’s marketing initiatives, 18% said “a cost”; 17% said “a profit center”; 22% said “an investment”; 33% said “a necessity”; and 10% said “a waste.”
Source: DiMassimo Goldstein
â–¶ The Future Depends on Technology: A Harris Poll survey reveals that a majority of consumers believe advanced technology could be the answer to many of the challenges the U.S. faces today. Among the findings:
• 73% of Americans believe that investing in innovation and advanced technology sciences in education is the key to the country’s long-term success;
• 71% of Americans said not only an investment but a leadership role in these technologies could mean survival for our auto industry, as they invest in hybrids and alternative fuels;
• 71% of adults believe that travel costs for businesses could be cut if technology such as videoconferencing were better utilized;
• 67% support the use of technology to produce “green products and services”; and,
• 67% want technology to manage medical records and patient care.
Source: Harris Poll
â–¶ Twitterers = Info Junkies: According to new data from research firm MarketingProfs, nearly 100% of surveyed Twitter users agreed with the statement, “I value getting information in a timely manner,” suggesting that this is among the biggest motivations for using the platform. Among the additional findings:
• 80% use Twitter because they “like to be connected to a lot of people”;
• 70% agreed with the statements “I finding it gratifying to have people follow me,” and “I want to generate new business”;
• 50% agreed that people who have large numbers of followers are more respected than those who don’t, but nearly 100% strongly disagreed with the statement, “People who have a large number of followers are smarter than those who don’t.”
Source: MarketingProfs
â–¶ Nonprofits Tapping Social Networks: A study of the nonprofit industry’s use of social networking as a marketing and fundraising channel, conducted by The Port Network and Common Knowledge, found that nonprofit execs are convinced of digital platforms’ value; now, they are experimenting with how best to leverage it. According to the findings:
• 80% commit at least one-quarter of a full-time employee’s time to social networking efforts, and more than half intend to increase social networking project staffing in the next 12 months;
• 86% have a commercial social network, and 81% said marketing is its primary purpose;
• Approximately 33% have built one or more “house” (custom) social networks, and 55% of those said marketing is the primary purpose of the community;
• For those nonprofits without a commercial social network presence, 44% cited the reason as a lack of in-house expertise; for those without a “house” community, 47% cited the reason as an insufficient budget; and,
• When asked how they might become more productive with their commercial social network efforts, 33% said more time to dedicate to their community sites would help; 30% cited additional staff; and 27% cited additional training.
Source: The Port Network and Common Knowledge