Execs embrace Real-Time Social Apps for Engagement.
July 19, 2013
Although content marketing and social media marketing are often talked about in separate conversations, the two are closely intertwined for marketers who have fully embraced the latter. Social media provides a great channel for brands and others to deliver content marketing to prospective audiences, but this also requires posting new material at a fast pace in order to keep the social audience engaged.
A July 2013 survey of business executives worldwide conducted by Livefyre, a technology company that helps facilitate the creation of online communities, found that almost three-quarters of respondents had incorporated real-time social apps into websites. These apps, which include sharing widgets, live chat applications and functionality to show real-time comments, can help users tuned in.
Livefyre also found that those polled most often named an increase in user engagement as one of the top three benefits resulting from the use of such social applications. Additionally, respondents found social apps yielded benefits in terms of establishing direct connections with an audience, and helping to increase the “stickiness” of websites.
Executives favored the well-established platforms of Facebook and Twitter as social media networks on which to maintain a business presence. The same number of respondents, 93.4%, said they were on Facebook as said they were on Twitter. Almost six in 10 maintained a YouTube account, with the same percentage reporting LinkedIn participation.
A July 2013 survey of almost 250 brands conducted by L2 Think Tank found that a large portion of brands worldwide were using a varied mix of platforms in order to communicate with audiences. In fact, more than three-quarters said they used between five and nine networks.
With social media offering communication channels with low entry costs, it makes sense that brands are branching out across several of these platforms. The trick for marketers is to make sure they’ve invested in the resources needed to both maintain a social media presence and keep them engaging with followers on a regular basis.
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