Connecting with your Content - Netherlands
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
1 like•1,953 views
New research from LinkedIn and Join the Dots proves that decision-makers in large and medium-sized European businesses (those with annual revenues of £4 million or €5 million) see social media as fundamental to doing business –and as a crucial driver of growth. Social is used to acquire new customers, generate leads, deliver content to a range of different audiences and generate advocacy and word of mouth; but also to inform all manner of business decisions, to listen to market trends, to source talent and to deliver customer service. And it’s rated as highly effective by over two-thirds of decision makers in all of these areas.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Similar to Connecting with your Content - Netherlands
Similar to Connecting with your Content - Netherlands (20)
More from LinkedIn Europe
More from LinkedIn Europe (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Connecting with your Content - Netherlands
- 1. Priming The Economic Engine: How social drives business growth and business decisions
- 2. Medium €5M to €29.9M DEFINING medium/large businesses (annual revenue) Large Over €30M 2 This report explores the way in which medium and large businesses in The Netherlands make use of social media. decision makers in medium and large businesses surveyed across the Netherlands 144
- 3. Key Findings Social media is seen as a vital business tool 88% of medium/large businesses currently use social media Increased spend on social media advertising is directly attributed to revenue growth 54% of medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth have increased their spend on social media in the past year Financial services communication and content resonate and drive action with LinkedIn members 85% of medium/large business that use social media do so for financial purposes 3
- 4. Medium and large businesses are a highly attractive audience, and social media offers a unique opportunity to engage with them
- 5. A high proportion of businesses in the Netherlands are reporting growth in several key areas… Have experienced an increase in total revenue over the past year Have experienced an increase in customer/client numbers over the past year Have experienced an increase in overall profitability over the past year 62% 50%55% 5Base: 144 medium/large businesses
- 6. GROWTH Increase in overall revenue compared to last year 55% 37% 7% NON-GROWTH Decrease/No change in overall revenue YoY HYPER GROWTH Significant increase in overall revenue YoY 6 62% of medium and large businesses in the Netherlands experienced growth in the past 12 months Base: 144 medium/large businesses
- 7. 7 Social media adoption in the Netherlands is well penetrated and usage is maturing Base: 144 medium/large businesses 88% Of medium and large businesses currently use social media 5% Plan to use social media in the future
- 8. 8 54%of those reporting revenue growth have increased their spend on social media advertising in the past year 40%of those reporting revenue growth suggest they will increase their spend on social media advertising in the future …which is closely related to an increase in spend on social media advertising. Base: 89 medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth
- 9. % reporting that social media spend contributed to revenue growth 9 …with revenue growth widely attributed to an increased spend on social media advertising. Base: 89 medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth Large businesses 35%Medium businesses 29%
- 10. 10 Social media networks used 71% 35% …with LinkedIn one of the most widely used networks. Base: 133 social media users 68%83%
- 11. Many of these businesses tend to make use of social media for marketing purposes… Base:144 medium/large businesses 11 Use social media to build awareness Use social media to drive business growth Use social media to increase sales 88% 83% 80% Top 5 uses of social media for financial purposes 1 2 3 4 5 Maintain a company presence and identity Advertise to generate new leads Generate word- of-mouth about my company Deliver content and new information Advertise to help increase awareness 35% 36% 39% 38% 44%
- 12. 12 …and tend to see social media as a vital tool for advertising, recruitment, and generating business growth. Base: 144 medium/large businesses 70% say social media is important for marketing their company 69% see social media as essential for the future of their company 65% say social media is important for gaining and retaining customers
- 13. 13 The most important challenge for medium and large businesse in The Netherlands is raising profit margins… 39% suggest that increasing profit margins will be their most important business challenge over the next year. Keeping up with technology 20% 21% 27% 28% 32% 38% 18% 16% Finding and hiring good employees Getting credit/financing/access to funding for my company Reducing costs Attracting new customers Increasing profit margins Keeping up with technology Retaining current customers Challenges faced by businesses in the Netherlands
- 14. 14 Social media is seen as an effective channel for marketing and driving business...along with impacting operational efficiencies and sourcing Base: 144 social media users who access for specific business purposes % reporting that social media is effective for… Customer service support/ handle complaints/retain customers 82% CUSTOMER SERVICE 52% FIND VENDORS Find vendors or companies that can help my company 86% RECRUIT Find and source new employees Deliver content and new information about my company 84% CONTENT DELIVERY 88% DRIVING AWARENESS Maintain a company presence and identity
- 15. Social media (and LinkedIn in particular) is highly influential for medium/large businesses when choosing a financial services provider 15
- 16. have used social media for finance-related reasons 85% Top 5 uses of social media for financial purposes 16 Social media is widely used for financial purposes, particularly to keep up with current trends… Base: 278 social media users 1 2 3 4 5 Keep up-to-date on financial trends Recommend a financial product to others Gather preliminary financial information Seek advice on a financial decision Evaluate or re- think a previous financial decision 24% 25% 28% 26% 41%
- 17. 17 This encourages businesses to take action based on the financial information they receive through LinkedIn… Top 6 actions as a result of exploring content on LinkedIn Base: 185 LinkedIn users
- 18. 18 Path to Purchase DISCOVERY Gather info / stay up- to-date CONSIDERATION Seek advice/info to make a purchase DRIVEN TO ACTION ON LINKEDIN (Any action) 88% Allowing users to discover and consider financial information on the network is vital to driving action… Base: 94 LinkedIn users
- 19. 19 DISCOVERY Gather info / stay up- to-date CONSIDERATION Seek advice/info to make a purchase DRIVEN TO PURCHASE ON LINKEDIN (Insurance policy and/or investment product) 64% …and also to drive purchases based on the information received through LinkedIn. Base: 94 LinkedIn users Path to Purchase
- 20. 20 Businesses are more open to receiving financial information from LinkedIn than any other network. Base: 144 medium/large businesses % who actioned a response after receiving information on each network 74% 58%68% 53%
- 21. 21 CREDIBILITY 62% agree that LinkedIn allows them to build credibility. CONNECTION 43% agree that LinkedIn lets them connect with vendors or potential partners. CONTEXT 66% agree that LinkedIn provides a relevant context to promote and advertise their company. COMMUNITY 62% agree that LinkedIn provides access to a broader community of other companies to seek opinions. This is due to LinkedIn being able to effectively provide businesses with the 4Cs… Base: 94 LinkedIn users
- 22. 22 ...which offers a valuable resource across different activities in the value chain. Marketing & Sales Sourcing Open Innovation Customer Service
- 23. 30% 22% 24% 22% 28% 39% 32% 31% 30% 30% Top 5 types of financial content expected on social media Providing more information in-line with business needs may help to provoke greater exploration of content… New product information Industry news / strategy information Networking opportunities Market and economic commentary Finance events Base: 144 medium/large businesses Information actually received through social media Information expected to be received through social media KEY 23
- 24. Build your followers Encourage referrals and recommendations Provide real-time assistance Build community Publish thought leadership LIKE ▪ SHARE ▪ COMMENTFOLLOW INMAIL SPONSOR UPDATE 24 GROUPS …which allows us to build relationships with businesses through various touch points on LinkedIn.
- 25. v Best practices for marketers 25 Enable learning throughout each phase of the purchase path Fulfill unmet content needs Provide resources for the entire SMB value chain Build your credibility by facilitating open dialogue with these businesses “We have improved communication with customers, which gives us a better picture of their needs. Also found a few new business partners through social media and acquired new customers.” - Large business, Manufacturing/Industrial sector
Editor's Notes
- 150 Medium Businesses 150 Large Businesses Who answered our survey? Individuals who own or who are currently employed in a senior role in a businesses with a total annual revenue of over £4million GBP The business had to currently make use of social media or plan to use it in the future Had to be the primary decision maker or have a strong level of influence over financial decisions in their business Had to make financial decisions that influenced the entire business or their division/business unit
- Q9. For each of the following statements, please indicate whether your business has increased, decreased or stayed the same this year compared to last year? % 10,001+ 13%
- Q9. For each of the following statements, please indicate whether your business has increased, decreased or stayed the same this year compared to last year?
- Q7. How long has your company been using social media? Data taken from Confirmit based on all respondents (including those screened)
- Q13. For the following marketing activities, can you please indicate if your spend has increased, decreased, or stayed the same this year compared to last year? Q14. And on which of these marketing activities do you plan to increase spend in the future? N.B. Q13a vs Q9 (Increased and significantly increased combined manually) N.B. Q14a vs Q9 (Increased and significantly increased combined manually)
- Q12a. Which of the following forms of advertising would you say has contributed to the growth that your business has experienced over the past year? 29% of medium businesses experiencing revenue growth attribute this to social media spend 35% of large businesses experiencing revenue growth attribute this to social media spend CAUTION: Low base for hyper-growth businesses (base size: 10) 40% of hyper-growth businesses directly attribute this growth to increased spend on social media. Increased spend on events (37%), offline ads (36%), email marketing (27%), and direct post (27%) was also widely attributed to an increase in revenue by those businesses experiencing growth. 37% of LinkedIn users whose business experienced revenue growth directly attributed this to increased social media spend. This is slightly lower than that achieved by Twitter (41%) but above that achieved by Facebook (36%). However, this is indicative only, as we are unsure as to which social media network the respondent has actually advertised on (i.e. may use both LinkedIn and Twitter, but has only advertised on Twitter).
- Q21. Which of the following social media websites does your company use?
- Q19. Which of the following reasons describe why you currently/plan to use social media for your company? Q19 (q14) (and vs. HQ2)
- Q18. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about social media? No sig differences between medium/large businesses FULL BREAKDOWN (% agreeing with each statement) Having my company presence on social media is important 70% Social media is important for marketing my company 70% I see social media as essential for the future of my company 65% Using social media for my company helps/will help me to stay ahead of the game 58% Social media is important for getting new customers 58% Social media is important for retaining existing customers 54% Social media helps my company source and hire new employees 52% Social media helps to empower employees 49% Social media helps/will help manage my company more productively 42%
- Q16. We would like to better understand the range of challenges you face as a financial decision maker or influencer. Please rank order the top 5 challenges for your company over the next 12 months. No significant differences between medium/large businesses.
- Q20. Of the following reasons you indicated why you use social media for your company, please indicate how effective social media was in achieving these objectives? Large businesses significantly more likely to find social media effective for advertising to increase awareness (84% vs. 66%); and to maintain a company presence/identity (86% vs. 70%)
- Q31. For which of the following purposes have you turned to social media? No significant differences between medium/large businesses Medium businesses: 68% use social media for financial purposes Large businesses: 78% use social media for financial purposes
- Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media? Large businesses significantly more likely to purchase an insurance policy based on information received on LinkedIn (13% vs. 2%). No other significant differences between medium/large businesses. FULL BREAKDOWN OF ACTIONS ON LINKEDIN Learned about a financial company/institution I/my company was not previously aware of 31% Shared information about financial trends, products/policies/solutions, or financial institutions/ companies 24% Learned of a financial product/policy or account type I/my company was not previously aware of 23% Conducted additional research on a financial product/policy or account type 23% Asked a financial professional for additional information about a financial product/policy or account type 20% Contacted a financial representative 18% Opened a new financial account 13% Discussed a financial product/policy or account type with a family member, friend, or colleague 11% Closed a financial account my company previously owned 10% Purchased an investment product 10% Purchased an insurance policy 8% Other 2% None of the above 39%
- Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media? Q33 (q27) vs. Use of social media for financial purposes (2) Discovery (55% use social media for financial ‘Discovery’ purposes) Use social media to gather preliminary information or/and Stay up-to-date on financial trends/ products/ companies Consideration (43% use social media for financial ‘Consideration’ purposes) Use social to seek advice or gather info to make a financial decision or/and evaluate or re-think a financial decision
- Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media? Q33 (q27) vs. Use of social media for financial purposes (2) Discovery (55% use social media for financial ‘Discovery’ purposes) Use social media to gather preliminary information or/and Stay up-to-date on financial trends/ products/ companies Consideration (43% use social media for financial ‘Consideration’ purposes) Use social to seek advice or gather info to make a financial decision or/and evaluate or re-think a financial decision
- Q28. How open are you to receiving financial content and information from companies you do business with on the following media sites/services? No significant differences between medium/large businesses. OPENESS TO REVEIVING FINANCIAL INFORMATION FROM OTHER NETWORKS Living Social 17% Foursquare 16% Yelp 14% Other 15% CAUTION: Low base for hyper-growth businesses (base size: 10) 60% of hyper-growth business are receptive to receiving financial content on LinkedIn The most popular networks amongst hyper-growth businesses were LinkedIn (60%); Twitter (60%); and Facebook (50%).
- Q24. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about LinkedIn, as they relate to your use of social media for your company? Medium Businesses: Credibility 59%; Connection 72%; Context 62%; Community 65% Large Businesses: Credibility 51%; Connection 55%; Context 52%; Community 52% Medium businesses also more likely to suggest that LinkedIn provides a trusted channel for information directly from other companies (54% vs. 38%) FULL BREAKDOWN (% of respondents who agree/strongly agree with each statement) Allows me to connect with vendors or other companies 63% Allows me to connect with current customers 59% Provides access to a broader network of other companies to ask questions or seek opinions/recommendations 58% Allows me to identify the credentials/expertise of potential partners (e.g. vendors, business partners) 57% Provides a relevant context for me to promote and advertise my company 57% Allows me to connect and generate leads with potential new customers 55% Allows me to build credibility 55% Provides a relevant context to do business 53% Provides opportunities to learn from experts or thought leaders 51% Allows me to share thought leadership articles and stories 51% Provides insights, information and opinions that are relevant to my needs 49% Gives me opportunities to learn about experiences, success stories or best practices from other companies 48% Is a trusted channel for me to conduct business 46% Provides a trusted channel for information directly from other companies 45% Provides opportunities to influence customers into purchasing my company's products or services 45% Allows me to be more productive and successful in my company 44% Helps me to be more successful in my company's business 42% Provides opportunities for my company to retain customers in the long term 42%
- Sourcing - Allows me to identify the CREDIBILITY and expertise of potential partners and CONNECT with vendors or other companies Open Innovation - Provides access to a broader COMMUNITY of other companies and thought leaders to seek opinions/recommendations Marketing and Sales - Allows me to build CREDIBILITY and provides a relevant CONTEXT for me to promote and advertise my company Customer Service - Allows me to CONNECT with current customers
- Q29. If a financial services company were to use social media, what types of information would you expect to receive from it for your company? Q30. Which, if any, of the following do you recall receiving from your financial service provider(s) via social media? Q29. FULL BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION EXPECTED TO BE RECEIVED Large businesses significantly more likely to expect customer stories and case studies in comparison to medium businesses (24% vs. 11%). New product information 39% Industry news / strategy information 32% Networking opportunities 31% Market and economic commentary 30% Finance events 30% Product performance updates 23% Best practices, how-to guides, checklists 23% Company background 22% New innovation and technology developments (e.g. managing an app, etc.) 22% Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials 22% Customer stories and case studies 17% Readily sharable marketing materials (e.g. printable brochures, etc.) 15% Thought leadership articles and stories 14% Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials 14% Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 12% Other 1% None of the above 8% Q30. FULL BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION ACTUALLY RECEIVED Large businesses significantly more likely to recall receiving market/economic commentary information through social media in comparison to medium businesses (31% vs. 13%). New product information 30% Finance events 28% Networking opportunities 24% Company background 24% Market and economic commentary 22% Industry news / strategy information 22% Best practices, how-to guides, checklists 21% New innovation and technology developments (e.g. managing an app, etc.) 17% Customer stories and case studies 16% Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 12% Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials 12% Product performance updates 11% Readily sharable marketing materials (e.g. printable brochures, etc.) 10% Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials 10% Thought leadership articles and stories 8% Other 1% None of the above 17% Q27. MOST VALUABLE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA No significant differences between medium/large businesses. Industry specific news/articles 65% Testimonials/reviews/opinions from customers or clients 65% Information on products/services 56% Testimonials/reviews/opinions from industry experts 56% News/articles about other companies 55% Industry research/white papers 53% Case studies from other companies 53% Testimonials/opinions from other companies 51% Helpful tips and tools from companies via emails 51% First hand success stories from other companies 48% Information about courses or classes 44% Best practices guides from other companies 44% Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 43% Helpful tips and tools from companies via display ads 39%