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Organizations are still cautious about dedicating resources to social media marketing: Only 27% of those surveyed employ someone who focuses exclusively on social media, according to a study by Ragan Communications and NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions.

Most (65%) organizations (including for-profit corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies) have added social marketing to the list of tasks traditionally assigned to marketing communications professionals.

In addition, one-quarter (25%) of organizations employ an intern to help with social marketing.

Below, additional findings from the report titled "Structuring a Social Media Team," by Ragan Communications and NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions.

Most organizations are still learning about social media: Only 13% of marketing professionals say their team's social media efforts are an "advanced, well-run machine."

Some 65% of marketing professionals say they use social media regularly but have more to learn and accomplish, and 23% describe themselves as "newbies."

Hiring Social Marketers

When hiring social marketing talent, a plurality of marketing professionals (45%) says they rely on a combination of educational background (degree) and experience; 25% weigh experience above all; and 18% view writing skills as a priority.

In addition, a background in communications (77%) and public relations (76%) is most desirable, followed by one in marketing (65%), journalism (42%), and advertising (28%).

Budgets

In 2012, only 28% of organizations recorded increases in their social media budgets (excluding salaries and benefits), and 69% stayed flat.

Prospects for 2013 are slightly better: 62% of organizations expect their budgets to remain flat, 36% expected budgets to rise, and 2% expect declines.

Even so, social budgets are still small: 23% of organizations have budgets (excluding salaries and benefits) of less than $1,000, and roughly 27% have budgets exceeding $50,000, with just 14% exceeding $100,000.

Goals

Asked about their social media goals, 87% of marketing professionals cite increasing brand awareness, 62% cite boosting Web traffic, and 61% cite improving the organization's reputation.

Some 45% of marketing professionals cite generating leads as a top goal for their social efforts, 40% cite sales, and 38% cite customer service.

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Social Marketing Benchmarks: Budgets, Goals, and More

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Lenna Garibian
Lenna Garibian is a MarketingProfs research writer and a marketing consultant in the tech industry, where she develops engaging content that builds thought leadership and revenue opportunities for clients. She's held marketing and research positions at eRPortal Software, GAP Inc., Stanford University, and the IMF. Reach Lenna via Twitter @LennaAnahid and LinkedIn.