SA's major corporations are struggling to get to grips with how to measure the value of their social media presence, despite a mass uptake of the technology.
Although 95% of large entities have embraced social media like Facebook and Twitter - jumping on the bandwagon - many entities do not see any value in the services. However, just more than half rate their efforts on Facebook as effective, a figure that drops to a third for Twitter.
This is according to the latest findings of the SA Social Media Landscape 2012 study, by World Wide Worx and Fuseware. The survey included 61 major corporations in SA and found that most have at least some form of social media strategy aimed at consumers.
In terms of measurement tools, 74% use the number of followers as a key measure on Twitter, yet only 24% measure the number of their own customers who are followers. "Similarly, while 72% measure effectiveness according to comments and mentions, only 40% consider sentiment analysis, ie evaluating the positive or negative tone of the comments," says the report.
When it comes to Facebook, 83% of the brands surveyed say they use comments and mentions as a measurement tool, with only 37% using sentiment analysis.
World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says the survey shows companies have not yet figured out what is more important. "It comes down to separating volume from value, and that takes time and energy, rather than just a dashboard of numbers."
The survey also showed that the corporate use of social networks tends to be a case of following the hype rather than careful strategy. Fuseware MD Mike Wronski says: "The most popular social media platform in SA, Mxit, is used as a marketing tool by only one out of five large brands. This compares to Facebook, with nine out 10 using it, and YouTube, with two out of three."
According to Wronski, brands are struggling to allocate necessary resources and time to the management of social channels. Nearly half (49%) of South African corporations leave social media in the hands of a marketing team, while 18% allocate it to public relations, while another 18% outsource it.
Natasha Clark, social media manager at ROI Media, says if a company doesn't have a strategy when entering social media, it shouldn't even bother. She says companies need to plan their strategies and content, to interact with consumers well in advance.
According to Clark, many companies have a social media presence, but do not actually understand how the platforms work and do not focus on the correct audience. She adds the need to have a presence is brand-specific, although it is vital for consumer-facing entities.
Learning curve
Earlier this year, the Burson-Marsteller Global Social Media Check-up found that 87% of the Fortune Global 100 companies use at least one of the major social networks.
At the time, Burson-Marsteller Worldwide CEO Mark Penn said the 2012 study showed a trend in the increase of social media content creation by corporates. "Since 2010, it has been interesting to see the companies' use evolve from broadcasting to engagement to content creation. Companies are now integrating more original multimedia content to share with followers on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube."
Locally, Goldstuck says the majority of companies are just starting out on the social media journey, while those that have proactive agencies are moving forward quite fast.
In instances where social media is not paying off, Goldstuck says companies have not learned how to use it effectively. "Most large companies are still neutral on the impact of social media, and are still feeling their way," says Goldstuck, who adds that it's a "learning curve".
In the local study, it was found that the majority (70%) of corporations in SA use social media as a PR channel, and 62% use it as a core part of their marketing campaigns. Interestingly, 13% of the companies surveyed only use social media because their competitors are using it.
The survey also highlighted the lack of skills in the space, with only 15% of the companies saying their social media skills are optimal. Thirty-six percent of the companies say they intend to use specialist social media agencies to assist their social media PR and marketing.
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