Social media is pretty far down the to-do list of most marketers these days but a few companies including Dell, Ford, Pepsi and Toyota have created positions to communicate with the public at-large via Facebook, Twitter, etc., according to a Brandweek report.
There are a couple of impediments to social media becoming a standalone function at most marketers. The biggest factor is a lack of return on investment to this point. The other is the view that duties for social media communications should not fall into a single silo.
A survey of chief marketing officers by Heidrick & Struggles in Atlanta found that social media was ranked in the bottom third of priorities. "It's because of analytics," Lynne Seid, a parter at the firm, told Brandweek. "The things that are measurable are a top priority. Most marketers see [social media] as an experiment."
"Most companies just aren't ready," Matthew Schwartz, president of MJS Executive Search, said. MJS placed Bonin Bough as global director of social media, a newly created position at PepsiCo in September. Mr. Schwartz described Pepsi as "a visionary" in the area of social media.
Tim Collins, director of experiential marketing for Wells Fargo, sees Twitter, Facebook and MySpace as the three social media sites where investments make sense.
"People think that social media doesn't work. It's hard to find ROI on pure social media marketing, but it's a long, slow build, not something you see immediate gratification on," he told Brandweek.
Discussion Questions: What do you see as the potential for social media marketing through Twitter, Facebook, etc.? Does the opportunity require a more focused effort on the part of marketers including dedicating staff to handling social media?