In May 2008, Avanade, a IT consulting agency, compiled a study of 541 responses from top executives on how businesses around the world used social media to attract and maintain customers. The research returned a wide array of information, but the more successful companies surveyed seemed to have certain similarities in how they viewed and utilized these technologies.
The survey states that of the people surveyed, nearly 90% agree that as younger generations enter the workforce, there will be an increase in the use of social networking sites in the corporate world. Despite this, less than 10% of people polled said the have developed and implemented a plan to integrate these technologies into their company’s everyday business. This lack of effort to adapt to the new technologies associated with social media and Web 2.0 keep these businesses from strengthening relationships with their intended audiences. Through interactivity and collaboration, social media can allow these companies to enhance their reputation among their publics, as well as evolve their online relationships with customers from solely managing transactions to a establishing a deeper connection where their thoughts and views can be shared freely. Executives at Avanade believe that if companies refuse to adopt these technologies their customers will leave them for companies that they believe do care about them.
The study also points out that 67% of North American companies surveyed believe that social media is the next major step in collaborative activities and technology for a business. I think that this statistic is interesting because it illustrates the fact that over two out of every three businesses in North America see the importance of social media in collaborating with publics across varying industries and geographies.
In time, it will be interesting to see if more companies will adopt social media to effectively collaborate with their publics, as well as how long those companies that do not adopt these technologies are able to stay afloat.
For more information on Avanade’s findings and how to overcome company social media fears, check out this blog by Laura Farrelly and Karyn German.
Thomas McHardy's Blog 