Each year, the Pivot team studies the evolving social landscape. For our 2012 -2013, "State of Social Marketing" report, we surveyed 181 social marketers and digital strategists who represent agencies and brands. What we learned is that the fundamental drivers for social media have radically transformed.

1. Research Report:
State of Social Marketing 2012-
2013

2. This survey was fielded via an internet questionnaire. Respondents were
sourced from email and social media outreach by the Pivot Conference.
Respondents were offered either a chance to win a $500 American
Express gift card or receive a signed copy of the new book by Brian Solis,
Pivot’s executive producer, as an inducement to complete the
questionnaire. The survey responses were taken between September 15
and October 7, 2012. 181 surveys were completed during that period.
Except where otherwise noted, the base for all questions is the full set of
respondents.
Methodology

3. Demographic Breakdown of Respondents
A company that
creates
products or
delivers
services, 38.7%
Advertising or
marketing
agency, 16.6%
PR/communicat
ions
agency, 7.2%
Consultancy, 13
.8%
Freelance
services, 4.4%
Other, 19.3%
20112012
A company
that creates
products or
delivers
services, 45.
8%
Advertising
or marketing
agency, 19.2
%
PR/
Comunicatio
ns
agency, 5.1
%
Consultancy,
12.4%
Freelance
services
company, 4.
5%
Other,
13.0%
Q: Which of the following best describes the type of business where you work?

4. Yes, 77
%
No, 23
%
Fewer think they understand their
Social Consumers than last year
Yes,
62%
No,
38%
20112012
Q: Do you feel that you have a pretty clear picture of who your company’s current Social Consumers are?

5. Social Consumers Balanced in
Gender2012
Male, 5
5%
Female,
45%
2011
Male, 51
%
Female,
49%
Q: What is the approximate gender balance of your Organization’s Social Consumer today?

6. 0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
20112012
Social Consumers skew younger in
2012, but cover all age groups in similar
pattern
Q: What is the approximate age range of your Organization’s Social Consumer today?

7. 0% 10% 20% 30%
Don't know
Under $30,000
$30,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $69,000
$70,000 - $99,000
$100,000 - $150,000
More than $150,000
20112012
Social Consumers now perceived as
having more income
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Don’t know
Under $30,000
$30,000-$49,999
$50,000-$69,000
$70,000-$99,000
$100,000-$150,000
More than $150,000
Q: What is the approximate median personal annual income of your Organization’s Social
Consumer today ?

8. Facebook and Twitter still
dominant, Pinterest jumps into view
20112012
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other
Bebo
Myspace
Google+
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
0% 50% 100% 150%
MySpace
Other
Google+
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
Q: What Social networks do your current Social Consumers use?

9. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Loopt
Path
Gowalla
LinkedIn Mobile
Foursquare
Twitter Mobile
Facebook Mobile
Visual platforms Instagram and Pinterest
gain momentum
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
RedLaser
ShopKick
Other (please specify)
Path
Google+
Yelp
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Foursquare
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
20112012
Q: What Social networks/apps are your current Social Consumers most likely to be accessing
primarily from mobile devices?
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

10. Yes, 35
%
No, 53%
Don't
know, 12
%
Q: Has your organization asked its Social marketing customers what is the greatest benefit they
expect from their Social media engagement?
Yes, 34%
No, 54%
Don't
know, 12
%
20112012
Most have not asked Social Consumers
what they want, still

11. Q: Which of these benefits do you believe your Social Consumers are expecting from their current
Social media engagement
Insight and content now more important
than deals
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Other (please specify)
Ability to buy within social…
Loyalty/rewards for engagement
Ability to get what they need in…
Ability to offer product…
Learn about new products
Deals/promotions
Be part of a branded community
Customer service
Insight to help make decisions
Exclusive content
20112012
Ability to offer product
feedback for improvement
Ability to get what they need in
social networks, not websites
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Ability to buy within social networks
Ability to get what they need in…
Be part of a branded
Ability to offer product feedback…
Exclusive content
Loyalty/rewards for engagement
Deals/promotions
Learn about new products
Insight to help make decisions
Customer service

12. 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
Conversations do not drive meaningful business outcomes
Consumers just want deals and discounts
Our Social media programs were too promotional
It is difficult to tie ROI to Social media
Social for customer service is more important than Social marketing
It is difficult to win over executive support
We are beginning to use social to develop new products for consumers
Consumers unlike and unfollow us when we talk too much
Consumers want something of tangible value in exchange for the…
Consumers want “a relationship” with us
Consumers want access to exclusive content or information
We are still experimenting
Conversations help with brand lift and relevance
Marketers agree conversations lift brand
and relevance
Q: With 1 being total disagree and 5 being totally agree, how much do you agree or disagree with
each of the following statements?

13. Yes, 47%
No, Social
marketing is
already/will be
mainstream in
the
organization
by
then., 53.3%
Yes, 49%
No, Social
marketing
is/already
will be
mainstream
in the
organization
by
then, 51%
20112012
Slightly more see Social as now
mainstream
Q: One year from now will Social marketing in your organization (or your client’s if you’re a service
provider) still be defined by continued experimentation?

14. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Other
Lack of cross functional support
Lack of metrics
Executive skepticism
Lack of understanding about benefits of social…
Absence of clear social strategy for the brand
Unclear outcomes
Budget
Q: What prevents your organization from moving beyond experimentation in Social marketing?
Base: Respondents who indicated their companies would not move beyond experimentation in 2012
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Other (please specify)
Absence of a clear Social strategy for the brand
Lack of cross-functional support
Lack of understanding of the benefits of Social media
Lack of metrics
Executive skepticism
Unclear outcomes
Budget
2011
2012

15. 0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
2013 2014 2015 Later
than
2015
Don't
know
Increased realism and maturity with Social
adoption
Q: When do you think your organization will move beyond experimentation in Social Marketing?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
2013 2014 2015 Later
than
2015
Don’t
know
2011 2012

16. Yes, 85%
No, 15%
Yes, 89%
No, 11%
Experimentation is fundamental to
Social, marketers agree
Q: Do you feel that experimentation is a permanent fixture in Social marketing?
20112012

17. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Other
Budget increase
Development of cross-functional support
Executive buy-in
Metrics
Clearly defined outcomes
Development of clear social strategy for the brand
Increased understanding of the benefits of social media
Q: What triggered/will trigger in 2013 your Organization’s move beyond experimentation in Social
Marketing? Base: Respondents who indicated Social would move beyond experimentation.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Other (please specify)
Development of cross-functional support
Budget increase
Metrics
Executive buy-in
Development of a clear social strategy for the brand
Clearly defined outcomes
Increased understanding of the benefits of social media
2011
2012
Executive buy-in has risen

18. Yes, 90.
2%
No, 9.8%
Experimentation will continue in Social
Q: Even though Social Marketing has gone/will soon go mainstream in your Organization, do you
personally feel that experimentation will remain an ongoing element in your Organization’s Social
Marketing plans?
20112012
Yes, 95.3
%
No, 4.7%

19. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Increased sales
Lead generation
Positive sentiment
Brand lift
Consumer engagement
Brand mentions
Influencing consumer behavior
Improved customer support/service
PR
Discovering points of relevance
Establishing points of influence
Impact on market value/stock price
Q: What are your Organization’s (or client’s) primary goals for Social Marketing in the next year?
Sales still matter, but engagement matters
more 201120122013

20. Engagement is key metric for Social in
2013
Q: One year from now (October 2013), what will be your Organization’s primary measure of success
for Social Marketing?
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Exposure
Other (please specify)
Impressions
Great employee satisfaction/efficiency
Increased profit margin
Social commerce
The 3F’s: Friends, Fans, Followers
Traffic
Sales
Leads/referrals
Conversations/interactions
Increased sales
Engagement

21. 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Again, Engagement is Prime
Q: On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is of no importance and 5 is critically important, how do you rank
the likely impact of each of these trends on your Organization during 2013?
5 4 3 2 1