49%% of executives worry about how their companies and brands are being represented in the social media world (49%) according to the white paper, "Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risks," which was conducted by Minneapolis-based Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law in July 2009.
A total of 438 randomly selected management, marketing and human resources executives within companies across the United States completed the online survey.
The Execs surveyed seem to feel that although they were uncomfortable, they couldn't put their head in the sand, and in fact most could see the benefits even if they did not know what to do about it:
- 81% believe social media can enhance relationships with customers/clients;
- 81% agree it can build brand reputation;
- 69% feel such networking can be valuable in recruitment;
- 64% see it as a customer service tool;
- 46% think it can be used to enhance employee morale.
Of those surveyed who were not using social media on a corporate basis 51% said that non-implementation is primarily due to simply not knowing enough about it.
At the same time, 26% of companies use social media to further corporate objectives and 70% said they plan to increase the use of these new opportunities.
