The vast majority of UK technology brands have a presence on at least two social network sites but many are failing to use these channels to engage with customers, according to a new study.
The study was carried out by marketing firm Wildfire and looked the social media activity of the 2009 Deloitte Fast Tech 50 and found that nearly all (90%) had signed up to a social media platform.
Twitter was the most popular (74%) followed by LinkedIn (72%), followed by a big drop to Facebook (20%). Less than half (48%) had a blog.
However the study found that companies are failing to engage with their customers online. Nearly half (43%) have never even replied to a Tweet and only 25% have replied to a follower’s comment on Facebook. Just 9% of those in the Tech Top 50 have replied to a comment on their own company’s blog.
So what are they using social media for? According to the study most see it primarily as a marketing tool. Nearly two-thirds (60%) use Facebook purely as a distribution channel while 57% of companies with a Twitter account used it solely for one-way marketing activity.
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"Social media marketing is not some black art requiring vast experience or knowledge. After all, the vast majority of us use social networks on a regular basis to chat with friends or network with colleagues. It is therefore surprising to find that so many technology companies are trying to force old marketing techniques onto the way they use social media. They are using it to simply ‘push’ marketing or corporate messages," said Debby Penton, Wildfire MD.
"To be truly effective, social media requires a different mindset entirely to traditional ‘push marketing’ and our research demonstrates that brands haven’t factored this into their thinking when using social media. With correct foresight and planning, social media can be a wonderfully effective and cost efficient way of developing relationships with end users and achieving bottom line returns," she added.
Firms featured in the study include 7digital, Bigmouthmedia, Bloxx, Lovefilm and Thunderhead.
