Don’t be bull headed about social media marketing

People are stubborn creatures…

Even when we know a thing is in our best interests, we sometimes have to be dragged – kicking and screaming, as often as not – toward that which we need.

For example?

eMarketer reports on a set of studies that show executives are well aware how important a social media marketing campaign can be to their company; yet despite this, social media is still not a top priority for most companies. Answers were categorized based on company size, and the findings are interesting.

Which executives felt that social media is at least somewhat important to their future success?

• 74% of SMALL businesses

• 88% of MEDIUM businesses

• 77% of LARGE businesses

• 78% OVERALL

Yet which executives name social media as a top strategic priority?

• 17% of SMALL businesses

• 49% of MEDIUM businesses

• 25% of LARGE businesses

• 27% OVERALL

There’s more.

When asked about their leading priorities, social media marketing fell near the bottom of the list. The top priorities?

• Customer retention

• Customer acquisition

• Customer profitability

Please remember, these were the very areas that were most affected by social media in the Dell study we pointed out only yesterday.

So.

A majority of the surveyed executives believe social media is at least somewhat important to their future success… And yet they admit that they don’t prioritize their social media campaigns… While the results they most desire are demonstrably achievable  through the very social media efforts that are not top priority.

Hmmm…  we believe there’s a word for this.

BULLHEADED: stupidly stubborn : headstrong

Example: a bullheaded boss who won’t take advice from anyone

Yup. Sounds right to us.