The Perfect Marriage of Content and Technology: Is Social Media the New CRM?

SALEM, Mass., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- For the past year, marketers have been searching for the right formula for their social media strategies.  They are attempting to align sales and marketing objectives with the tactics that will generate the best return.  Fast forward a year to a new marketing atmosphere in which social media—the marriage of technology and content—has been adopted on a grand scale, and the search has morphed into a race toward social media legitimacy, superiority and expertise. To determine just how savvy marketers are, King Fish Media teamed up with HubSpot and Junta42 for the second installment of their three-part marketing research series. "Social Media Usage, Attitudes and Measurability: What Do Marketers Think?" reveals that despite the clear reliance on specific technological platforms, marketers who have made content king are seeing the best results. That said, showing positive results for social media initiatives are not yet a requirement for funding at many organizations. The full results of this study can be downloaded at http://www.kingfishmedia.com/marketing-resources/research/social-media-usage-2010

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"It goes without saying that any marketing tactic is ultimately rooted in a company's desire to strengthen customer bonds and/or generate leads, but social media is an ideal platform for engaging in regular dialogues with customer bases and prospects," says Gordon Plutsky, Director of Marketing and Research, King Fish Media. "This research confirms what we've been saying for years: content is the key to creating an emotional connection. Social media has clearly emerged as a dynamic vehicle for delivering it to the right people in their preferred format."

Among the key findings of the Social Media Usage, Attitudes and Measurability: What Do Marketers Think?

• 85% of survey respondents say that original content is critical to the success of their social media campaign.
• Branded original and expert content is used more often than any other type of content.  And development of an audience for content is one of the top objectives of marketers.
• 43% of respondents revealed that they don't need to show positive ROI to get social media funding from their organization.
• Nearly three quarters of all companies (72%) currently have a social media strategy, and of those that don't, the vast majority (80%) will within the next year.
• Only 9% of surveyed organizations have full-time positions dedicated to managing social media responsibilities, while 90% include those as part of someone's overall responsibilities.
• 85% of companies are handling their social media efforts internally.
• Two thirds of the company's surveyed (67%) focus their social media efforts on their company as a whole, while 41% promote individuals within the company and 24% promote a specific brand.
• Original content, both branded and expert, is by far the most used tactic for social media (73% and 72%, respectively). Video content (51%), user case studies (45%), and reviews (41%) are also used by roughly half of all respondents.

To download the complete findings of the King Fish Media Survey on Social Media Usage, Attitudes and Measurability, visit http://www.kingfishmedia.com/marketing-resources/research/social-media-usage-2010

Methodology

Four hundred and fifty seven (457) respondents completed the survey. Respondents were primarily corporate management and marketing/sales management professionals. King Fish Media and the survey's two co-sponsors, HubSpot and Junta42, publicized the survey through email invitations and blog posts, as well as shared the link via social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The data was compiled and tabulated by Datastar of Waltham, MA.

About King Fish Media

King Fish® (www.KingFishMedia.com) is the leading custom media solutions company with services ranging from custom publishing (print and interactive), to web casts, face-to-face events and market research. Delivering custom media programs designed to spur relationship marketing and customer retention, and drive qualified leads, King Fish creates media channels for leading companies in both B2B and B2C markets.  King Fish Media was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Hot 500 List and Inc. Magazine's 5000 list. King Fish has won several awards, including MIN's Integrated Marketing Award and the CPC's Pearl Award. The King Fish Think Tank blog (www.kingfishmedia.com/thinktank/) has been named one of the leaders in content marketing by Junta42. King Fish Media has created loyal audiences for companies such as Aramark, Bank of America, BBVA Compass, IBM, Nuance, Source Media, Stop and Shop, Verizon, Zappos and others.

SOURCE King Fish Media