Only 49% of Marketers Have Integrated Social Into Brand Building [STUDY]

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The report by Forrester Research is based on a survey of 99 CMOs and marketing VPs in February. The research reveals that such marketers are overwhelmingly aware that social is important -- 92% agree that social media has "fundamentally changed how consumers engage with brands." Yet a little more than half say it is still siloed from the rest of their marketing plans.

Tracy Stokes, a principal analyst at Forrester and the author of the report, says marketers are just now "stepping back to see how the jigsaw fits into their marketing plan." Stokes, however, was encouraged that marketers are accepting the importance of social. "What surprised me was how marketing leaders had embraced the idea," she says. "There was no gray."

Elsewhere in the report, Forrester reports that 59% of of online consumers are active on social media sites weekly and one-third have become a fan of a brand on Facebook or Twitter. Marketers, realizing the importance of social media, say the impact of social on their brand is second only to search. However, about half of business-to-consumer marketers agreed with the statement "Social media has the potential to build my brand, but I'm not sure how to capitalize on it."