Pharmaceutical, Utility Companies Cautiously Add Social Media to Marketing Plans

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Marketing organizations in highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals and utilities, struggle to incorporate social media into their marketing plans effectively and safely. However, 50% of companies are proactively managing social media through content generation and monitoring on sites, such as Google, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Companies that proactively manage and generate content for social media as part of a marketing strategy employ about twice as many FTEs to manage social media as do companies with activities limited to content monitoring, according to "Best Practices for Using Social Media To Drive Business Outcomes," primary research conducted by Best Practices, LLC.

Download a complimentary white paper at http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr1110.htm that includes selected best practices drawn from extensive primary research with executives from 24 leading companies including.

Key insights of this primary research include:

  • Even though a majority of Social Media employees undergo formal training on marketing, communications and customer service, only a third are required to have training specifically focused on Social Media.
  • Independent of their maturity in Social Media, about half of companies have written policies in place to govern the use of Social Media at the workplace. Companies are still in the process of establishing policies that balance reticence and openness.

The full 28-page report contains more than 110 benchmark metrics and eight key insights, detailing for social media managers how corporate social media impacts customer satisfaction ratings, brand management, sales and marketing metrics, recruiting levels and other business goals.

For more information on this study and other recent primary research studies, contact us at 919.403.0251 or at [email protected].  

BEST PRACTICES, LLC, conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class companies. Best Practices, LLC has been a leader in pharmaceutical research and consulting for more than 17 years; our clients include 48 out of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies.

SOURCE Best Practices, LLC