Who Manages Your Social Media?

For many companies across the US, social media is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. It’s how we stay in touch with our customers, find new prospects, build community and culture among our employees and learn more about our industry. But who’s actually manning all those millions of business-related Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest accounts?

We’ve received some early results from our Small Business Social Media Survey, and the results might surprise you.

More than half (54.9%) of small business owners remain involved in the day-to-day admin­is­tra­tion of social networks, respond­ing that they are respon­si­ble for managing their business’ social presence. 36.2% of busi­nesses use an employee to manage their networks, while a minority (6.5%) use an external company to assist with the admin­is­tra­tion. What can these numbers tell us? They show that small business owners believe that social media is important enough for them to take time out of their busy schedules to manage per­son­ally. And by and large, even if they aren’t managing it them­selves, they’re keeping social media activ­i­ties in the house rather than outsourcing.

But while business owners and employees are managing social media efforts, people from all walks of life are con­tribut­ing to social media activities.

Nearly three-quarters (73.3%) of small business owners are getting involved with social media in some way, even if they aren’t the primary manager, under­scor­ing the increas­ing impor­tance of social media in busi­nesses of every size. A sizable number of companies also have a dedicated staff member who admin­is­ters their social media, often a marketing manager or assistant. Inter­est­ingly, however, 27.1% of busi­nesses make social media a whole-company endeavor. We expect to see this trend continue to grow as people come to under­stand that social media isn’t just a function of marketing or public relations, but a critical tool which affects sales, customer service, oper­a­tions and every other aspect of business.

Finally, busi­nesses are getting people outside of their orga­ni­za­tion involved with social media, too. From prospects to current customers to vendors, busi­nesses are rec­og­niz­ing that we can all achieve more when we work together. Utilizing guest posts, or simply reviews and tes­ti­mo­ni­als from clients, these busi­nesses are making social media an effort that includes INCLUDES rather than excludes.

How are you using social media? We’re still col­lect­ing data for our 2012 survey, and we’d love to hear from you! Complete our social media survey, sign up to get the full results, and make your voice heard.