Key findings from a 2013 survey of Singapore-based marketers to gauge the role of social media in organisations’ marketing strategy. 301 marketers responsible for either Singapore-only or Asia-regional participated.
1. Social Media Survey 2013
imagine
inform
create
engage
reach
act
June 2013Key Findings into the Role of Social Media in Marketing Strategy
A Survey of Asia Regional and Local Marketing Decision-Makers
based in Singapore
3. About the Survey
• Up to June 2013, Xpointo invited
hundreds of Singapore-based
marketers to participate in our Social
Media Survey
• The objective was to assess how
social media is impacting overall
marketing strategy
• At the close of the survey fieldwork,
we received 301 completed survey
responses
• The responses have been aggregated
and compiled. Following is a
snapshot of the findings:
5. Industry Representation in Survey
5.0%0% 15.0%10.0%
Arts & Entertainment 3.3%
5.0%
Transport 4.7%
Financial Services
Heavy Industries
Property 5.3%
Retail 5.6%
Wholesale & Distribution
14.3%
Consumer Goods 11.0%
Education & Training
7.3%
FMCG, Food & Beverages 10.3%
10.6%
Travel & Hospitality 15.6%
Others 7.0%
Distribution of Participating Industries
Percentage %, June 2013
6. Participants’ Roles in Organization
Significant
Influence
48%
73%
65%
Implement
and Execute
Lead and Direct
31.6%
54.8%
13.6%
Both
Local
Regional
Do You Handle Local Or Regional Marketing?
Percentage %, June 2013
How Are You Responsible For Your Organisation’s
Marketing Strategy?
Percentage %, June 2013
7. Social Media Management Trends
71.0%
28.0%
Increasing
Same
Decreasing
1.0%
Is Social Media Marketing An Increasing Or Decreasing
Priority For Your Brand?
Percentage %, June 2013
Outsource
6%
In-House
51%
43%
Mix of In-House
and Outsource
Is Your Brand’s Social Media Marketing Currently Handled
In-House Or Is It Outsourced?
Percentage %, June 2013
8. Top 10 Digital Marketing Channels
100%0% 50%
Developing Mobile Apps
Mobile Advertising
YouTube Presence
Market Research
43.9%
Producing Video content 47.8%
Search Marketing 54.2%
28.9%
30.2%
Advertising on Websites 69.1%
Email Newsletters
Facebook Presence 74.1%
55.5%
77.7%
98.3%Company Website
What Is Currently Included In Your Digital Marketing Activity?
Percentage %, June 2013
9. Social Media Marketing Objectives
4.034.084.10
4.18
4.374.39
4.53
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
5.0
Product AwarenessBrand Exposure Customer Loyalty Return on Marketing
Investment
Content
Development
Consumer InsightsSales Revenue
How Important Is Each Of The Following In Social Media Marketing?
5-Point Index, June 2013
10. Social Media Success Metrics
3.22
3.35
3.36
3.41
3.42
3.47
3.51
3.01.0 4.0 5.02.0
Time Spent with Social Media
Qualified Leads from Social Media
Unique Visits to Social Pages
Total Number of Likes/Followers/Fans
Incremental Sales Attributed to Social Media
Shares, Forwards, Re-Tweets
Engagement with Brand Content
How Important Are These In Determining The Success Of Your Social Media Marketing Efforts?
5-Point Index, June 2013
11. Social Media Challenges
0 5 10 15
Lack of Resources 12.8%
6.3%
17.0%
10.1%
5.4%
Social Media Marketing Budget Allocation
Lack of Expertise, Knowledge and Insight
6.5%
Creating Relevant & Rich Content
Others 7.7%
Shift from Tradtional to Social Media Marketing
11.0%
Effective Engagement with Fans/Followers/Members
14.3%
6.3%
Social Media Response Management
Showing Return on Investment
Differentiate from the competitors 2.7%
Reaching Target Audience
What Are Your Top Challenges When It Comes To Social Media Marketing?
5-Point Index, June 2013
12. “How do we get fans to visit us
in real life”
Some Social Media Challenges Cited
“Handling negative comments is a
challenge”
“In Singapore, digital marketing
agencies lack the challenge and
knowledge. They do not have any
idea what they are doing”
“Authenticity of comments,
people and influence on the
social media sites”
“Unable to control the comments
that people make”
“High engagement doesn’t
translate into sales”
“Social media is not applicable as
my clients are not tech savvy”
“Personal relationships are
more important and are more
tangible compared to social
media marketing”
“Have to spend too much
time maintaining the social
media sites”
“Social media marketing is too broad
therefore it is difficult to reach out to
the target niche”
15. “Lacking the expertise in
content development”
Some Digital Marketing Challenges Cited
“HQ in Singapore acts as support
unit, as there is no customer base in
Singapore”
“Spectrum too wide, difficult
to reach out to targeted
audience”
“Web design, quality of pictures etc.”
“Too many new products are
coming up too fast and it’s a
challenge to keep updating
the website”
“Company website is not so
popular”
“Finding the Relevant Target
Audience”
“Quantifying the ROI”
“It’s a challenge to keep abreast with
the changes”
“Insufficient contents
available to constantly
update company website”
17. Digital Marketing Initiatives
10
20
0
30
4.4%
2.8%2.8%
E-commerce Online
Display
Advertising
3.3%
4.0%
7.5%
Digital
Marketing
Strategy
3.2%
Online video
channels
1.6%
17.2%
16.4%
Website
Development/
Revamp
Social Media
Development
(Community,
App)
33.3%
23.2%
Content
Development
Others
6.4%
7.5%
Mobile
Marketing
(Advertising,
App Dev)
5.6%
Lead
Generation
Search
Engine
Optimisation
9.9%
1.2%
11.7%
2.3%2.3%
4.0%
2012
2013
What Are Your Top Digital Marketing Initiatives This Year?
Percentage %, June 2013
18. “Improve & enhance audience
engagement through Twitter,
Instagram & mobile apps”
Examples of Digital Marketing Initiatives
“Want to increase brand awareness
and looking into social media
marketing”
“Relook into how interaction
online”
“To explore more in social media.
Currently we only have our
Facebook page”
“Digital advertising and app
development:
“Post more products on the
website”
“Moving towards Enterprise;
lead generation, product
awareness through Events”
“Engage with customer
through YouTube”
“Plan to venture into other social
media sites”
“Increasing Facebook likes
and lead generation”
20. Key Takeaways
• Social media remains the top
digital marketing initiative for
marketers
• Marketers have high
expectations for social media
with objectives spanning
branding > loyalty > revenue >
customer insights > content
development all ranked highly
• The importance of social media
is still increasing
• Content development is an
emerging need and core
challenge