69% of UK businesses plan to appoint social media managers this year
Research released today finds that 69% of UK businesses have appointed or plan to appoint a social media or community manager in next 12 months.
The EPiServer study finds that, with 73% of businesses now running online communities or looking to do so in the next 12 months, there is a greater need for specialist knowledge and expertise.
The study, ‘The rise of the community manager’, reveals that the majority of businesses are still turning to in-house marketing employees to manage communities and social media, with 51% of social media or community management carried out by a marketing manager, 21% by a PR executive and 21% given to someone in IT.
This looks set to change as 28% of businesses already employ someone dedicated to social media in-house, and a further 41% said they were looking to appoint one in the next year.
EPiServer vice president of European marketing Maria Wasing explained that the results clearly show that social media is “no longer the new kid on the block”.
She added: “However, while an increasing number of businesses are embracing social media, there are clearly areas for improvement if they are to take full advantage of these channels. Managing social media can be challenging and time-consuming, so it’s vital to put in place a dedicated resource, along with the right tools and platforms to ensure multiple channels can be updated and managed with ease.”
For the full report go to www.episerver.com/communitymanager.