Competitive brands have already developed social media strategies designed to interact with fans and followers through comments, shares and Likes, but is that enough? A new report from eMarketer shows companies will have to think on their toes in 2013. Marketers increasingly analyze social media interaction in real time to take the pulse of their brands and create compelling content to draw in new audiences.
As social media marketing becomes more complex, real-time data analysis can develop smarter social presences. The goal: to make branded social accounts as responsive as possible. According to eMarketer, businesses like Cisco, Dell, Discovery Communications, H&R Block, McDonald’s, SAP and Sprint Nextel have expanded their use of social analytics tools to make their internet marketing campaigns dynamic and unique. This allows marketers to refine and execute initiatives around social topics quickly and capitalize on the virality of certain trends – in some instances, the news.
A major challenge presented by this trend is that smaller businesses may struggle to adapt and evolve in the same way as companies like Cisco. Brafton has reported that 52 percent of surveyed business professionals say their marketing teams share all marketing responsibilities, suggesting the same person manages social and email metrics. This leaves little room for specialization, and can prevent team members from giving social media analytics data the proper time to guide future campaigns. Dedicated social strategists – in-house or externally resourced – can help businesses take advantage of real-time insights.
