The good news is that B2C companies are catching on to the importance of tracking and following up on consumer conversations about their brands across the social web. The bad news is that not enough of them are doing it yet. The worse news is that the numbers are even lower for B2B companies.
In a recent survey of 1,000 B2B and B2C companies, eMarketer reports that Satmetrix learned 17% of B2C companies don’t track what consumers say about their brands on the social web, nor do they follow up on that feedback. Of B2B companies, 47% do not track or follow up on social media comments about their brands.
Following are some specific statistics from the study:
- Track and follow up: B2C = 53%; B2B = 27%
- Track only: B2C = 25%; B2B = 22%
- Follow up only: B2C = 4%; B2B = 5%
- None: B2C = 17%; B2B = 47%
Of companies that do track and follow up on social media content and conversations about their brands, nearly 1 out of 2 have dedicated teams in place to monitor and follow up on that feedback.
Overall, companies in the United States are tracking and following up on social media content more frequently than companies in other parts of the world. Just 31% of U.S.-based companies do not track or follow up on social media feedback from consumers. According to the study, U.K.-based companies are least likely to track or follow up on social media feedback with 38% indicating that they do neither.
Specific results by geographic region follow:
- North America = 31% of companies do not track or follow up on social media
- Asia = 36% of companies do not track or follow up on social media
- Latin America = 36% of companies do not track or follow up on social media
- Europe, Middle East, Africa = 37% do not track or follow up on social media
Given that study after study reports consumers are actively discussing brands online (both positively and negatively) and those conversations influence consumer purchasing decisions, it’s surprising that so many companies aren’t tracking and following up on social media content and conversations. Processes should already be in place, but as the Satmetrix study reveals, those processes aren’t in place yet — particularly not in B2B companies.
Are you surprised by these statistics? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
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Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
