Senior Executive Social Networking Survey
The steady drum of discussion about the impact of online social networking services like LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook suggests an entire frontier of potentially crucial applications for these developing media, in corporate and business contexts. That's why Margolis & Company (http://www.margoliscompany.com) and the Young Presidents' Organization (http://www.ypo.org) asked leaders and decision makers for their thoughts and plans regarding social networking in a business to business context.
From September to October 2009, we interviewed 100 CEOs and Senior Executives about their viewpoints and investment plans for social networking in the B2B space, interviewing 85 YPO members and 15 other business leaders in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific. We asked the participating leaders to respond in a business context, though a number of the respondents based their projections on a consumer model. We conclude that's because the business to business model is so new.
The Senior Executive Social Networking Survey results reflect contrasts in policy and approach. For example, the data shows that while only 20 percent of the participating leaders use social networking primarily for commercial purposes, most executives believe social media in a business to business context will achieve significant growth in the next two years. These plans for expanding corporate presence in social networking spheres are reflected in the revelation that 80 percent of the companies surveyed plan to allocate more resources to develop social networking strategies over the next two years.
On behalf of Margolis & Company and YPO's members, we hope that our clients, friends and others find this survey useful for future planning and discussion. We wish to thank all the leaders that participated and for TNS for validating and co-processing the results. We look forward to hearing your perspective. You can download a PDF of the survey document, here. If you don't already have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, it's available as a free download, here.
We believe that social networking will enhance speed and augment relationships with customers and clients. However, online networking will never be a substitute for real human interaction.
We welcome your input and we look forward to continuing the conversation.
| Dan Margolis President & Managing Partner Margolis & Company dan@margoliscompany.com Twitter | danmargolis |
Simon Preston YPO-WPO International Chairman 2009-2010 YPO Pennine and YPO Greater Europe Chapters www.ypo.org press@ypo.org |
About the Survey
For the survey preparation, Margolis & Company and YPO developed the questions and TNS Argentina validated the methodology. The executive interviews were by invitation only and were conducted online and by telephone through a structured questionnaire. Margolis & Company analyzed each interview and TNS co-processed the data.
YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) is a not-for-profit, global network of young chief executives connected around the shared mission of becoming Better Leaders Through Education and Idea Exchange.TM Founded in 1950, YPO today provides 17,000 peers and their families in 100 countries with access to unique experiences, world-class resources, alliances with top learning institutions, and specialized Networks that help them enhance their business, community and personal leadership. For more information, visit www.ypo.org.
