Brand engagement in social media

I just saw this new report from eMarketer about the presence of brands in social media and what consumers expect from them. Of note is that 34% of people think brands should engage and interact regularly, 51% think brands should engage, but only intereract when requested. Only 7% thought brands had no place in the social media landscape.

I think this does not take a number of things into account including the value-add to the community, the quality of the offering and the level of participation (being a member of the community vs. just being there).

What do you think about these numbers? Are they low/high in your opinion?

[UPDATE:] See a similar study conducted by Cone (disclaimer: Cone is also part of Omnicom Group).

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conversations, marketing, Matt Dickman, social media, social networks, Techno//Marketer

Comments

[chelpixie]

If the results are coming from social media users, don't we already know what the majority of us are thinking?

It's outside this box that we need to worry about things. What do the people NOT in the fishbowl think?

This is useful but knowing what direction we need to go in to reach others is more important.

[David Tokheim]

I think they are low. Despite the brands involvement, the conversation is going on throughout social media outlets. (Just Google your favorite brand and watch the discussion!) If the brands do not make this a core part of their marketing mix, they run the risk of having their head in the sand while their brand is being shaped.

Brands need to move away viewing social media as a flight-based event that starts and then stops. Marketing within social media requires brands to build a relationship over time, add value to the medium in which they are marketing & really think about adding value to the needs of the consumers they are reaching.

[Ken Kadet]

I think the results reflect the usual bias against "advertising." In that sense, I'm surprised that support was as high as 34 percent.

Per chelpixie's question about what's going on out of the fishbowl, I'd suggest the answer is that most people outside the fishbowl feel that they just don't have time for all this... except for... .

The social media efforts lack value. It means that the ones that work -- that generate conversation and references and loyalty and sales -- are extremely valued by people who don't have time to mess around with brands they don't value.

[Kevin Dwinnell]

I think they're about right for what the question asks. I'd wager that for most people, if you ask them about brand involvement - they hear "advertising." (Nod to comment above about the same thing.)

But what Brand are you talking about? If you're talking Kleenex or Glad bags, I'm probably not interested. But, if you're the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Huffington Post, you're not just welcome - I've probably invited you to join me.

So when do we get to segment Brand by psycho and demographics? You've got male and female above. Why is it just "brand"?