Study: How Swiss companies use social media
Broad use and routine, little innovation and dialog - that is the conclusion of the Bernet ZHAW Social Media Study Switzerland 2022.
Social media has established itself as a central communication tool for companies and organizations. Nevertheless, one third of respondents still do not have a social media strategy. The most popular platform is Facebook, followed by Linkedin, Instagram and YouTube. Despite the high level of activity on the channels, the respondents are not entirely convinced of the cost/benefit ratio: only 18 percent rate the benefits of social media higher than the costs. This is shown by the sixth edition of the social media study by Bernet Relations and the Institute for Applied Media Studies IAM of the ZHAW.
22 percent have no social media budget
Awareness around the use of money (budgets) and personnel (responsibility, processes) has strengthened somewhat. 73 percent of all responding organizations have a social media budget (2020: 78 percent). 22 percent still have none. It should be noted here, however, that smaller companies and organizations were increasingly included in the group of respondents this year. A majority of respondents have already purchased reach for organic posts (boosted posts), 49 percent of them on Facebook, followed by Instagram (34 percent), LinkedIn (27 percent) and Google (14 percent).
Corona: influence on usage
When it comes to new forms of organization, people rely on the tried and tested. At 85 percent, social media are part of communications/marketing. 7 percent have their own department, and only 3 percent of organizations have a newsroom. Influenced by the pandemic, the use of social media in external communications has increased for 42 percent of respondents, and by 36 percent in internal communications. However, a slight majority noted no change (58 percent for external communications, 50 percent for internal communications).
Although many of the respondents are definitely interested in new channels such as Tiktok, there seems to be little openness to experimentation. At least 14 percent have had experience with automated dialog via chatbot (8 percent pilot tests, 6 percent institutionalized). The use of automation in content planning or creation is somewhat more advanced. Here, 40 percent already have experience: 26 percent have already institutionalized the use, 14 percent have undertaken pilot tests.
The Bernet ZHAW Social Media Study Switzerland 2022 was supported by news aktuell. The study is available here download.
