I’m constantly banging on about the need for the social media industry to “grow up” by becoming more strategic. At the weekend, I came across a post by Brian Solis that makes same the same point. He writes:
“Having a Facebook page or Twitter account is like having a telephone or a printer — they are tools that need a purpose…”
Solis goes on to quote from an Altimeter survey of social strategists and executives that found,
“…only 34 percent felt that their social strategy was connected to business outcomes. Only 28 percent felt that they had a holistic approach to social media wherein lines of business and business functions work together around common goals. A mere 12 percent were confident they had a strategic plan that looked beyond the next year.
And perhaps most astonishing was the fact that only one half of companies surveyed said that top executives were “informed, engaged and aligned with their companies’ social strategy.”
So while the company grows in its social media efforts, strategic focus with a clear goal in mind often falls by the wayside.”
Full post here: http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/17/its-time-for-social-media-to-grow-up/