WASHINGTON, Feb. 14: The biggest social media challenge for many businesses is securing the necessary staffing and financial resources to manage it, according to a new survey from The Manifest and Smart Insights.
More than 25% of social media marketers say this shortage of resources is their biggest obstacle to a successful social media plan.
To resolve this, social media experts recommend that a company's leadership team understand the importance of social media and be committed to overcoming resource obstacles.
"I empathize with the marketers who can't hit their goals or reach the potential of social media because they are limited by budget," said Josh Krakauer, founder and CEO of social media marketing agency Sculpt. "But nothing replaces having a leadership team or decision maker inside an organization who gets social media and is willing to put in long-term effort."
The ideal solution, experts say, is a company leader who understands the importance of social media and is invested in the company's long-term social media marketing success.
Some businesses, such as One Tribe Apparel, partner with social media influencers to overcome a gap in funding or staff to maintain a social media presence. This partnering strategy is an effective way for companies to save money and expand awareness of their brand.
"These collaborations get us quality photos in unique locations without the cost of hiring a photographer, and they also help us gain followers by having the influencer talk about us and tag our account," One Tribe Apparel Co-Founder Ryan O'Connor said.
Companies can save money using influencers who spread awareness of the brand.
Other social media marketers say their biggest social media challenges are lacking a formal social media strategy (24%), building a community of followers (24%), and tracking results (17%).
Despite these challenges, experts agree that social media is essential for companies.
"Companies have to be on social media," said Peg Samuel, founder of Social Diva Media, an agency that helps businesses improve their social media strategy. "You need to be where your customer is, and that's social media."
Businesses need a social media presence to retain current customers and gain new ones.
Overall, 52% of social media marketers say social media has helped increase their company's revenue and sales, a number that is expected to increase.
The Manifest's 2018 Social Media Survey included 344 social media marketers from companies around the world with more than 10 employees. The respondents are split evenly between B2B and B2C companies.
