According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 73 percent of employers do not provide training to employees who are responsible for social media duties.
The survey also finds that 68 percent of respondents have employees using social media to reach external audiences, including current customers, potential customers and potential employees; however, 32 percent of respondents do not use social media for promotional reasons.
"The survey data show a disconnect in that most organizations use social media to reach audiences, yet few train employees to effectively do so," says Mark Schmit, vice president of research at SHRM.
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The little social media training being offered could explain why it receives low marks regarding effectiveness, the survey finds, as few respondents say social media is a "very effective" vehicle for attaining organizational goals, such as sharing content, improving brand awareness or increasing Web traffic. Although most respondents say social media is "somewhat effective," many still report it to be "neither effective nor ineffective."
The survey also reveals low marks when using social media as an effective tool for reducing marketing expenses. In fact, only 4 percent of respondents say social media is "very effective." Thirty-one percent of respondents say it is "somewhat effective," and another 51 percent of respondents say it is "neither effective nor ineffective."
As far as the departments that are using social media, respondents say those duties belong to marketing at 67 percent, HR at 44 percent, public relations at 38 percent, sales at 24 percent, management at 20 percent and customer service at 15 percent.
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