Over Half Of Companies Are Using Social Media With No Strategy

As we at HC&B Healthcare Communications expand our social media presence, this recent study from Digital Brand Expressions is especially pertinent. According to the study, 78% of corporate respondents are using social media, but only 41% say they have a strategy for guiding such activity.

While it’s comforting that many companies realize social media is a resource that must be utilized, the lack of strategy is troubling (though not too surprising). One finding from the study caught my eye:

Even for the firms that do have a strategic plan in place, only 29% reported distributing policies and/or communications protocols to employees via social channels. ‘This leaves the majority of organizations exposed to problems arising from employees saying the wrong things in the wrong ways to the wrong people at the wrong time,’ according to the report.

Social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can certainly do a lot for your company — but only when everyone involved is on the same page. Hopefully these results will get companies to not only think about their social media strategies, but to implement effective strategies to enhance their business.