-- Most organizations are leveraging "unpaid" forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, along with lower cost blogging applications like WordPress and SocialText to execute social media programs. -- 93% of organizations surveyed are using some form of "unpaid" social media -- When asked which solution media platform is currently being used or evaluated, 202 organizations indicated WordPress. 29% of companies > $250M in revenue are using or considering WordPress while 61% of companies < $250M are considering or using WordPress. -- Yet, despite adoption, organizations are still hesitant to launch social media initiatives. Concerns included lack of participation, maintaining a consistent brand image, and calculating ROI. -- While marketing budgets are generally declining for 2009, roughly 50% of respondents have allocated a percentage of their marketing budget to social media. Most of these organizations are planning an upgrade from "unpaid" sources to an enterprise platform that offers more data control, increased functionality, and a hard ROI.For a complete summary of the survey results and best practices on how to adopt and mitigate risk when implementing social media programs, the "Corporate Trends in Social Media Marketing" eBook can be downloaded here: http://www.aw arenessnetworks.com/resources/default.asp#ebook-corp-trends. These findings will also be presented in a webinar on March 9 with Chris Brogan and Mike Lewis. To register, visit: http://www.awarenessnetworks.com/resources/webinar-reg.asp. Connect with Awareness: Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/awarenessinc Blog: Participate in the Awareness Online Community and Blog (http://www.awarenessnetworks.com/community.asp) Facebook: Join our Social Media Marketing Best Practices Page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?# /pages/Social-Media-Marketing-Best-Practices/44587192553?ref=ts) and Social Media Marketing Mavens Group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?# /group.php?gid=45317366530&ref=t) LinkedIn: Join our Social Media Marketing Mavens Group (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1693977) About Awareness Awareness builds online communities for companies who want to leverage social media marketing to engage with their customers, build their brand, and increase revenues. An early leader in enterprise social media, Awareness works with some of the world's most respected companies, including Kodak, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, and Hershey's, to transform their marketing and create deeper relationships with customers. The Awareness solution features an on-demand Social Media Marketing Platform that combines user-generated content and social networking with security and control. Awareness also provides strategic guidance, best practices, and expert services to design, implement, and manage social communities. Backed by Greylock Partners and NorthBridge Venture Partners, Awareness is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Contact Information: Media Contact Jennifer Gazin awareness(at)launchsquad(dot)com 415.625.8555 Awareness Contact Mike Lewis mike.lewis(at)awarenessnetworks.com Twitter: @bostonmike