Those of us who "get it" didn't need a survey to tell us what we already knew...
To be successful, and I mean truly successful in social media, you must be willing to make a committment of time and, in the case of companies, businesses, organizations... a committment of resources.
But apparently there are still plenty of marketers both here AND abroad who still "don't get it."
From a report today in eMarketer...
And from a October 2010 survey by the Meltwater Group, 38% of marketers around the world stated lack of time and resources as their biggest challenge when it comes to social media.
See a theme here?
"Most marketers understand the basic need to provide useful content to social spaces, but they aren't able to keep up with the ongoing publishing demands, and don't know how to manage conversations around their content within a community of interest," said Matt Goddard, CEO at R2integrated, in a statement.
That should HAVE read "... in a gross under-statement!"
Not coming down on Mr. Goddard but those of us who "get it" - yes I keep using that phrase because it is the most appropriate - have been espousing this since the beginning of all mankind. Well perhaps not quite that long.
But you get my point...
"There is a danger of treating social media as a "bright shiny thing" and taking great interest for a short time then losing interest and moving on before real results are forthcoming."
I did not write the above line, but I did read it as a comment on this site and I love it. It encapuslates perfectly the inherent danger that many marketers apparently STILL have when it comes to social media.
Look at it this way: Social media is like a relationship. It takes time to grow, you cannot rush it. You get out of it what you put into it. As someone who has been married for 18 years, I know full well the importance of time in a relationship.
Treat social media like any relationship that requires give and take and open lines of communication, and you won't go wrong.
Sources: eMarketer, smallbusinessnewz