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Social media marketing study reveals only a third of marketers are satisfied

Rebecca | June 1, 2013

The data showed that a mere 37 percent feel that their advertising on Facebook is effective.

According to the 2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report that has just been released, many marketers are not satisfied with the results that they are seeing with their efforts over Facebook.

The report also indicated that many marketers are not using the networks to their greatest potential.

Though it had been expected that the greatest surprise that the marketers would reveal regarding their social media marketing would be the lack of participation, this was not at all the case. Instead, the report’s authors were most taken aback by the number of businesses aren’t tracking the effectiveness of their campaigns so that they aren’t actually aware of the impact that it is having.

Among the study participants, 97 percent said that they were using social media marketing in their campaigns.

Social Media Marketing Study Moreover, the 86 percent of the respondents said that they felt that social media marketing was an important part of their overall advertising efforts. When asked specifically about the use of Facebook, it was revealed that 92 percent of the participants were using that network as a part of their advertising and promotions. Forty nine percent of those using Facebook felt that it was the most important of all of the platforms.

However, only 37 percent of those using Facebook social media marketing actually felt that it was effective.

That said, the report underscored the fact that this figure does not represent the number of companies that have actually seen success from their social media marketing over Facebook. Instead, it represents the number that feel that it is effective – not necessarily based on having tracked the impact of their ads and their return on investments.

The reports also pointed out that it is more likely that large organizations will feel that social media marketing over Facebook is effective than smaller or medium sized companies. It was the bigger companies that were most likely to feel that targeted traffic was moving from the platform to their company brand site. Among smaller companies, a considerably lesser impact was noted by the research.

Mobile payments could soon be available to Australians through Eftpos

Rebecca | May 30, 2013

The company has announced the start of a trial program for small transactions in some stores.

Should a new Eftpos mobile payments trial prove to be successful, it may provide the opportunity to Australians to make digging through a purse or a pocket for change nothing more than a distant memory.

This is because its pilot program is to allow smartphone owners to use their devices to make small purchases.

The mobile payments trial will be run in certain Australian stores beginning in July. According to the CEO of Eftpos, Bruce Mansfield, if this program proves to be successful, it could lead to a much broader roll out in which the use of smartphones for this purpose could become mainstream. He explained that it could actually help to reduce the need for cash in smaller denominations.

Eftpos believes that the convenience and speed of mobile payments will play very well in its favor.

Mansfield explained that “This type of mobile payment could displace low value cash. It’s quicker, it comes down to speed and convenience and potentially a reward. We’re certainly hopeful.”

This pilot project is the start of a five year agreement with mobile payments company, C-SAM. It will use technology similar to that which has been implemented by Visa PayWave. This near field communication tech (NFC technology) will be combined with apps in order to allow shoppers to use a form of digital wallet.

The CEO went on to specify that the reason that they have faith in the use of mobile payments in this way is that consumers in Australia “already have a love affair” with their smartphones. Now, they’re seeking to broaden the various ways in which interactions through smartphones can occur as an element of the overall shopping experience, and to take part in a greater amount of that interaction.

Beyond mobile payments, Mansfield also saw opportunities in providing shoppers with the ability to create lists of items they need, locate products, and find and use loyalty offer or reward programs using their smartphones. This way, consumers can combine their favorite device with a larger number of the shopping activities that they do in a regular day.