How are we using Social Media?
The overwhelming majority (94%) indicated they were employing social media for marketing purposes.
Is social media is important for my business?
A significant 83% of marketers said that social media was important to their businesses. This is a drop from 2011 where 90% thought social media was important (62% strongly agreed in 2011).
The solo business owner was more likely to strongly agree (54%) with this statement.
What experience do you have with social media marketing?
B2B marketers have been using social media longer (18.3% reported 3 years or more) than their B2C counterparts (14% indicated 3 years or longer).
A significant 59% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more and 33% for 11 or more hours weekly. It's interesting to note that nearly 15% of marketers spend more than 20 hours each week on social media.
Those with more years of social media experience spend more time each week conducting social media activities. For example, 77% of people with 3 or more years of experience commit more than 6 hours weekly to social media marketing. And 24.5% of this crowd are spending 20 hours or more each week.
However, more experienced social media users are spending less time with social media compared to our 2011 findings. Only half of marketers with more than 3 years experience are spending 10 or more hours each week on social media, down from 63% in 2011.
What are the Main Benefits?
The top two benefits of social media marketing are increasing exposure and increasing traffic. A significant 85% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses. Increasing traffic was the second major benefit, with 69% reporting positive.
Nearly two-thirds of marketers are using social media to gain marketplace intelligence (65%). Tied for fourth place, 58% of marketers indicated generating leads and developing loyal fans were benefits of social media. 58% of marketers who have been using social media for more than 3 years also report that it has helped them improve sales.
Growing business partnerships
Those who invest the most time in social media marketing gain the most business partnerships. Of those with 3 years or more of experience, 72% saw new partnerships. However, 44% of people who've invested at least 6 months in social media marketing also report new partnerships were gained.
By spending as little as 6 hours per week, 61% of marketers see lead generation benefits with social media. This is a significant increase over 2011 (52%). A significant 65% of small business owners were more likely than others to generate leads, compared to the 58% average for all marketers.
A strong 78% of marketers with 3+ years of experience gained leads from social media marketing. Nearly half of those who spend at least 11 hours per week on social media efforts saw a benefit of reduced marketing expenses.
Figures taken from: 2012 Social MediaMarketing Industry Report.