What Social Media Taught us in 2016 - Part 2

Social media has found itself in a time of fast evolution. This quick progression of platforms, tools, and consumer expectation has left many companies gasping for air and grasping at straws, attempting to simultaneously exploit the channel for it’s potential, and guard against the hazards it presents. To that end ICUC surveyed almost 100 companies, ranging in size and across a large number of industries (read more about the survey demographics in Part 1 of this series, here), to pin down exactly what ails us when it comes to social media.

The first survey finding, as detailed in Part 1, dealt with some pain points of social media including monitoring, coverage, and proving ROI. Read for two more insights, What Social Media Taught Us in 2016, as well as what your company can do about them in 2017.

What Social Media Taught Us in 2016 – Part 2

Survey Finding #2: Managing Social Media

50% choose Hootsuite for daily scheduling.
38% of brands have more than four separate Facebook accounts.
52% of brands have a single Youtube or LinkedIn channel.

Other than channels that can be scheduled with Hootsuite, there’s a fragmentation to the way social media is scheduled and posted. So the questions becomes, how can firms synthesize the data and comments from their audiences, especially since 61% surveyed deem high-level reporting as very important?

What was most important when it comes to data collected? Information that provides an understanding of the opportunities for engagement or revenue.

Survey Finding #3: What Matters Most

In the end, firms are concerned with building their brand and refining their social strategy.

Of 29 value propositions, these six were the most compelling to the survey population:

I am looking for customer responses in near real-time
I want someone to handle the social grunt work so I can focus on the high-level social strategy
I need 99.99% accuracy so I can rest assured nothing is missed
I require customer responses in less than 15 minutes
I want to build brand equity and affinity with my followers, enhancing my customer relationships
I want social data so I can enhance my social strategy

Three Key Takeaways on What Social Media Taught Us in 2016

Just as a bookstore shouldn’t wait for someone to get trapped in one of their shops, your brand shouldn’t wait for a crisis before taking action. You can mitigate the risks with readily available support and tools that enable firms to avoid getting bogged down by things that divert time, budget, and resources away from their higher level goals.

These surveyed aches and pains can be alleviated using three major components that a complete social media management system offers.

#1: Moderation: This not only keeps a consistent brand tone across channels, but keeps your audience free from spam and inappropriate comments, 24/7.

#2: Community Management: This means building a base of fans and contributors who uphold your brand’s high standards. Keeping up with conversations and monitoring trends 24/7 requires a savvy team that knows how to engage your audience, in your brand’s voice.

#3: Social Listening and Insights: Customer service is way beyond having a 1-800 number. Social media management must monitor and provide responsive customer service at all times. More than that, a social listening and intelligence program will take data, and use it to identify trends, find new customers, and generate leads.