This probably comes as no surprise, but as the title indicates, most marketers are increasing the social media spending this year according to Effie Worldwide and Mashable. More specifically, 70% of the marketers surveyed intend to increase their social media investment by 10% or more.
For marketers, Facebook Likes were at the top of their lists followed by growing their mobile presence. On the mobile theme, 80% of the marketers surveyed indicated that they were planning on doing an iPad application or iPad advertising.
Exemplary Use Of Social Media
The poll cited 4 major US brands as being the "top-dogs" in social media effectiveness including:
- Old Spice
- Pepsi
- Starbucks
- Ford
Ford, as you may recall even launched a vehicle, the new Ford Explorer through social media. I have previously written about Starbucks and Josh has touched on the Old Spice campaign. One of the greatest ways to see what's effective is to analyze the success stories.
In-House In Conjunction With Agency Support
The study also showed that roughly half of the responders said that they rely on a marketing/web firm with help from an internal team to handle social media outreach. The remaining 50% varied between fully handling social media in house and fully using an agency.
The mix-model jives well with our opinion of the best structure for social media involvement by small businesses. As marketers, we can help set the direction, create the tools, and educate on effective use of social media. To truly keep it personal, we feel that it's vital for brands to commit their own resources to social media involvement.
Planning To Focus On Social Media?
If you are planning to increase your focus on social media, we can help to ensure you start on the right foot, and that you start with a measurable framework focused on growing your business and brand.
