
The Social Transformation Report
How modern organizations are growing brand value, operational efficiency, and business impact with social media
Keeping social stuck in marketing misses its greater value
Social's place in marketing is well established—but executives often underestimate social's economic, cultural, and transformative value. Understanding the true potential of social has become imperative as organizations look for new possibilities in the wake of COVID-19. That’s why we set out to discover how social is helping businesses build relationships, create tangible business value beyond marketing, and catalyze digital culture shifts.
We surveyed 2,162 marketers and executives about the use and effectiveness of social media within their organizations, answering three critical questions.
What do organizations achieve when they broaden their use of social media beyond marketing and communications departments?
How does social media impact customer, employee, partner, shareholder, and community relationships?
As organizations expand their use of social media to influence these relationships, how does it prepare them to meet broader transformation goals?

The bigger picture

It’s like when Taylor Swift calls out one fan, it shows that we’re listening. It shows that you know you’re being recognized, that your efforts are being rewarded.

Respondents that said social media empowered them to reach prospective customers more efficiently than other media.
Respondents who agree that the use of social media has improved brand health measures.

How our customers are approaching social transformation
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Sodexo, a global food services and facilities management company with 428,237 employees in 80 countries, puts stakeholder outreach at the core of their social strategy. They ran a highly targeted social campaign to reach executives at a single organization with social posts about their commitment to corporate social responsibility. Sodexo’s team promoted it with paid social posts, while employees with connections to executives shared campaign content to their personal social media networks. It reached the right people and played a role in winning the high-value contract.
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At Avidia Bank, a mutual community bank in Hudson, Massachusetts, their team uses social to understand customers better and drive sales. When a prospect engages with an article that an employee has shared on LinkedIn, Avidia Bank’s employees contact them to share information about business banking services—reducing the need for on-site visits, or time-consuming lead nurturing.
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For Georgia State University, social is the glue that connects their entire communications strategy. From using Hootsuite Amplify to get their president and deans engaging directly on social, to coordinating quickly during high volume events, to managing messaging spikes during crises, social is a critical part of the campus experience for students, faculty, and leadership alike.