1. Katia Pallini

2. About this
research report
InSites Consulting, together with sample and data
collection partner SSI and the translation agency No
Problem! conducted a quantitative online survey among
1,222 senior managers.
The targeted markets included are Belgium, The
Netherlands, France, Germany, the US and the UK.
All respondents are senior or top managers from
companies (+20fte) in different sectors, with different
sizes and offers. Splits per sector, region… are shown if
the results are relevant.

3. What to expect from
this research report
Market circumstances are forcing companies to change
their marketing, their behavior and their leadership style.
In his book, The Conversation Company, Steven
identifies four pillars that will guide companies through
this change process. These pillars are rethinking
customer experience, conversation management,
content strategy and collaboration.
This research project measures the current state of
companies in their journey to become a conversation
company.

4. The Conversation
Company Philosophy
‘The Conversation Company’ is a metaphor for the
most consumer-centric organization one can imagine,
using the power of the people as a positive lever and
thankfully accepting social media as an ideal business
partner. Company culture is the conversation guide for
all employees and clients. To optimize its conversation
potential, the Conversation Company invests in 4 C’s:
Customer Experience, Conversation management,
Content marketing & Consumer Collaboration.

5. 4C IMPACT MODEL
The 4C impact model shows how ‘identification with company culture’ and ‘social
media integration’ influence the adoption level of the 4C pillars, which in turn have an
impact on employee satisfaction and the likelihood of staff recommending their own
company to others. Both are objective parameters of business performance.
Identification
with company
culture
Satisfaction &
recommendation
Social Media
adoption

6. 5 KEY CONCLUSIONS
OF OUR RESEARCH

7. 1
Lack of identification with the
corporate values among
top management blocks
social media integration

8. 2
High social Low social
media adoption media integration
61% 29%
29%
27%
27%
17%
17% 15%
15%
39% 12%
12%
29% Doing nothing with social
Doingmedia
First steps in social media
First
Pilot phase in social media
Pilot
Integrating social media
Integrating
Social media is integrated
Social
nothing steps in phase social media
with social social in media integrated
media media social
24% media

9. 3
24%
Conversation
39% management Still a long way to go
before the world is
Customer
experience full of conversation
companies
16%
Collaboration
19% management
Content
management
Current adoption of the 4C components

10. 4
A digital gap is created in the
business world:
Those who invest today, are the
ones who will invest tomorrow

11. Companies that invest in all 4 C’s
have a higher satisfaction &
5
recommendation rate among
their own employees

12. Full Research Report

13. 4C IMPACT MODEL
Identification
with company
culture
Satisfaction &
recommendation
Social Media
adoption

14. The Company Culture
is your company’s
Conversation Guide
The most commonly used definition of company culture reads as follows:
“Company culture is a series of shared values and convictions which help individuals understand the functioning
of the company.”
A transparent company culture makes it easy for the employees to understand exactly what the company expects
of them. Culture gives people an insight into the type of behaviour the company considers appropriate.
Research confirms that company culture often forms the basis for the successful implementation of a strategy. A
strong company culture also has a positive impact on the performance and productivity of its employees. This
culture is a kind of „mental programming‟ that sets an organisation apart from its competitors.
Your culture is the personality of your organisation and the foundation your Conversation Company is built on.
Your staff and customers make this culture tangible to others. This involves a method of reasoning that works
from the inside out. A traditional company is first and foremost interested in keeping its shareholders happy.
Making customers happy only comes second, with the staff coming a poor third. A Conversation Company turns
this logic on its head. Happy staff are more than willing to keep the customers happy; happy customers mean
higher profits and this makes the shareholders happy as well. Or, as CEO of Southwest Airlines puts it:
“We take good care of our staff. Our staff take good care of our customers. And our customers take good care of
our shareholders.”
Your company culture is the conversation guide for employees and clients. Employees know how to behave and
how to communicate with clients, whereas clients know what to expect.

15. Lack of identification
among top management
blocks the evolution
We looked for the reasons why some companies are refusing to invest in new media. Looking at the data, we found
some typical results: the healthcare industry is lagging behind; media is a frontrunner; smaller companies are in the
lead compared to bigger companies. But I have to admit, these differences are rather small.
There is a bigger and more fundamental reason why some companies are lagging behind: their leaders. This survey
was undertaken among top managers from companies in the US, the UK and Europe[p1]. It was quite shocking to
see that about half of these top managers do not identify with the corporate identity and culture of the company they
preside over. This parameter is crucial to being open to change and evolution. Leaders who have a less emotional
bond with their company, invest less in social media. The transparency, openness and authenticity of the social web
must scare them away.
This shows that conversational leadership becomes a critical success factor for adapting companies to the
transparent world we live in. Leaders can hate their job but need to love their company. The more extreme the ‘love’
(emotional bond) between the leader and the company, the higher a company scores in social media
adoption/integration.
‘First who, then what’
I am a big fan of Jim Collins’ book ‘From good to great’. In his work he states that great companies first decide on the
‘Who?’ and then on the ‘What?’. Our research about social media integration and adoption has the same conclusion.
If you are serious about social media, the two elements you need are a conversation leader and a corporate culture
which acts as your conversation guide. After that, implementation of new projects will go a lot faster. This study also
shows that some companies (with the wrong leader and wrong culture) will never be successful in this field. Probably
these companies have even more serious problems to deal with first, don’t you think?

16. It’s remarkable that half
the senior and top-level
managers do not or
hardly identify with the
culture of the company
they work for.
The two main reasons
are the lack of visibility
of company values
throughout the
organization and a
limited focus on
company culture in the
recruitment process.

17. Company culture is built on having strong values and
living these values…
The 5 most common values are…
26% More than 1 in 4 companies has
27% customer
centricity
‘professionalism’ as a value.
professionalism
France is an outlier regarding company
values: values such as responsibility, trust
and respect carry more weight.
16%
expertise
16% 19%
result driven
service-oriented

18. But how are people living these values…
Perfect fit between
No fit between company company & personal
& personal values values Only 1 in 2 feel
their personal values
fit closely with
those of the
Company company they
values work for.
This percentage is
significantly higher
among top-level
Personal managers, managers
values with more than 20
years of experience,
B2B companies and
companies not listed
on the stock market.
51% 49%

19. The better the value match the
more satisfied people are and
the more likely they are to
recommend their company to
others

20. 37% of managers
claim their company
values are not clear
to everyone in the
company

21. 54% of companies
recruit employees
based on matching
values

22. Company values…
To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding company culture? Agree
Our company values permeate everything we do 64%
Openness, authenticity and happiness are somehow incorporated in our values 64%
Our company values are clear to everyone in the company 63%
If negative customer comments appear online, we do not remove them but instead we try to help the customer 61%
Our internal and external values are the same 60%
If a staff member says or writes something wrong, we help him adjust his behavior 60%
New employees are only recruited if their values match ours 54%
As an employee, you have access to social media at work 52%
My company encourages online conversations with customers 44%
Employees are allowed to talk about their work on social media 41%

23. 4C IMPACT MODEL
Identification
with company
culture
Satisfaction &
recommendation
Social Media
adaption

24. Social network adoption is
high in companies. The
most actively used
platforms are Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and
YouTube.
However, integration of
social media in business
processes is low. Only
12% of businesses have
fully integrated social
media in their business.
Yet our study shows that
social media integration
has a positive impact on
satisfaction and
recommendation.

25. Social Media Adoption
Which of the following social media platforms is your company active on?
Facebook 61%
Twitter 39%
LinkedIn 29%
YouTube 24%
A corporate blog 17%
MySpace 9%
Flickr 5%
Foursquare 5%
Netlog 4%
Badoo 3%

26. Most actively used platforms:
61%
39%
29%
24%

27. Social Media Adoption
Which of the following social media platforms is your company active on?
<500 500+ B2C B2B
65% 56% 60% 62%
41% 37% 39% 38%
33% 25% 22% 41%
26% 21% 24% 24%

28. Social Media Adoption
Which of the following social media platforms is your company active on?
Products &
Products Services
Services
60% 51% 70%
39% 32% 45%
32% 24% 33%
25% 16% 30%

29. Social Media Adoption
Which of the following social media platforms is your company active on?
80% 61% 51% 56% 59% 53%
45% 44% 35% 25% 39% 45%
48% 30% 8% 8% 35% 42%
31% 23% 19% 25% 20% 22%

30. Social Media Adoption
Which of the following social media platforms is your company active on?
FMCG & Retail Healthcare Finance Media Tech & Telco Travel & Leisure
63% 43% 55% 78% 67% 62%
42% 39% 37% 66% 52% 50%
28% 29% 26% 29% 38% 24%
27% 30% 24% 46% 36% 35%

31. Social Media Integration
More than 1 in 2 companies are still in the early stages of integrating social media.
12% have fully integrated social media in their business processes.
29%
27%
17%
15%
12%
Doing nothing with social First steps in social media Pilot phase in social media Integrating social media Social media is integrated
Doing nothing
media First steps in Pilot phase in Integrating Social media
with social media social media social media social media integrated

32. Social Media Adoption
To what extent has your company integrated social media?
<500 500+ B2C B2B
Doing nothing with social
media 27% 32% 29% 30%
First small steps 30% 24% 27% 26%
Setting up/ running pilot
projects 17% 17% 18% 15%
Integrating social media 15% 16% 15% 17%
Social media are fully
integrated 12% 11% 11% 12%

33. Social Media Adoption
To what extent has your company integrated social media?
Doing nothing with social
media 26% 31% 46% 19% 32% 23%
First small steps 24% 27% 20% 28% 30% 33%
Setting up/ running pilot
projects
23% 18% 15% 19% 15% 13%
Integrating social media 17% 14% 10% 20% 15% 17%
Social media are fully 11% 10% 10% 13% 10% 15%
integrated

34. Social Media Adoption
To what extent has your company integrated social media?
FMCG & Retail Healthcare Finance Media Tech & Telco Travel & Leisure
Doing nothing with social
media 30% 38% 26% 27% 24% 30%
First small steps 19% 26% 24% 20% 22% 33%
Setting up/ running pilot
projects
19% 12% 22% 13% 22% 16%
Integrating social media 20% 13% 15% 23% 19% 13%
Social media are fully 12% 11% 13% 16% 14% 9%
integrated

35. Companies that have
fully integrated social
media in their structure
use an average of 3
different social media
channels.

36. 52% have access to social
media at work
41% are allowed to discuss
their work on social media
44% are encouraged to
communicate online with
customers and consumers

37. Companies where social
media is fully integrated have
more satisfied employees who
are more likely to recommend
their company to others.

38. 4C IMPACT MODEL
Identification
with company
culture
Satisfaction &
recommendation
Social Media
Adoption

39. Why these Four Components?
These four new disciplines have been chosen after careful consideration.
A survey of 400 marketers has shown that companies grow faster than their sector rivals when they
use these four components in unison.
These four pillars help build a conversation lever for both your employees and your customers. Moreover,
the entire process is in line with your company culture and company values.
The first pillar, customer experience, is the most important conversation starter. If your employees and
your customers feel well-treated, they will mention this to each other.
Managing customer experience means investing in word-of-mouth. You are developing a focus for staff
and consumer satisfaction. As a result, service is no longer be seen as a cost but as an investment in
conversations.
Managing the conversations is the second pillar. This involves observing, facilitating and participating in
conversations. Your participation in conversations in social media will help humanise your company and
make it seem less distant. Asking and answering questions boosts the interaction between the company
and the market.
In addition to the reactive answering of questions, the Conversation Company also adopts an active
strategy with regard to content. Your content proves you are an expert in your field. Your company moves
away from campaign-based thinking and towards the planning of impactful, conversation-generating
content.
The final pillar is the pillar of structural collaboration between your company and the market. The
customer wants to help you and you welcome that help. The Conversation Company builds various
communities of customers, who help determine the future of the organisation.

40. The 4C components
Current adoption levels…
24% Today, customer experience is the
Conversation
39% management most adopted pillar. Compared to
the other countries, US-based
Customer
experience companies score significantly
higher on customer experience and
conversation management
16% adoption. Overall, countries
Collaboration providing both products and
19% management services score better on each of the
pillars than companies providing
Content
management either products or services.

41. US-based companies with less than 500
employees in the media or technology sector
are the top performers across all 4 Cs
<500
Media
Tech & Telco

42. <500
Only services
Especially Belgium-based
companies with less than
500 employees providing
only services need better
4C leverage

43. Customer experience is the
main driver of satisfaction
and recommendation.
Offering strong products and
a decent customer service
will boost business through
positive conversations.
However, only 54% of
companies today manage
those customer expectations
by delivering slightly more
than promised.
Moreover, just 2 out of 3 are
open to conversations with
customers in every phase of
the purchase process.

44. 54%manage
customer expectations
by delivering slightly
more than promised

45. 60% always
opt for solutions
that benefit the
customer in the
event of a problem

46. 43% offer
the same services
both online and
offline

47. Customer Experience…
To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding customer experience? Agree
The staff are trained to deliver adequate customer service 70%
My company tries to be open to conversations with customers in every phase of the purchase process 63%
In the event of problems, my company always opts for a solution which benefits the customer 60%
Our customers can choose their own preferred channel of communication to address their questions 59%
Every employee knows how to react to both satisfied & dissatisfied customers 59%
My company innovates sufficiently in terms of customer service 57%
More than 80% of the comments (online and offline) about my company are positive 56%
My company manages every touch point with customers as a conversation starter 55%
My company manages expectations. We deliver slightly more than what we promise 54%
My company offers the same services both online and offline 43%

48. Conversations should be
managed in three stages:
observing, facilitating and
participating.
Only 40% monitor customer
conversations whereas 36%
also participate in these
online conversations.
Remarkably, less than 1 in 2
companies manage their
conversations themselves.
Also, just 38% share the
outcome of these interactions
with the entire organisation.
In other words, much of the
conversations potential
remains unused.

49. 40% monitor
customer
conversations both
online and offline,
36% participate in
online conversations

50. 48% of
companies
manage their
own
conversations

51. 34% use the real names
of the people who administer
the company Twitter account

52. Conversation Management…
To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding conversation management? Agree
My company always answers when a customer asks a question online and/or offline 69%
My company admits its mistakes and apologises to the customer 69%
Employees participate in conversations with customers and clients 57%
My company offers objective added value when dealing with commercial questions from customers 56%
My company manages its conversations itself 48%
My company monitors customer conversations both online and offline 40%
The conclusions of these observations are shared with all employees 38%
My company sometimes posts questions on public forums to gain input and feedback from customers 37%
My company participates in online conversations 36%
My company uses the real names of the people who administer the company Twitter account 34%

53. Content management is
becoming increasingly
important. More companies
acknowledge the need to
change their commercial
model due to the rise of
social media.
However, only 39%
currently have a content plan.
Less than 1 in 2 believe
their company is fully aware
of the opportunities each
channel has to offer in terms
of spreading content.

54. A 6-Step Approach in Content Marketing…
50% 43% 39% 45% 40%
Topic Content Editorial Create Manage Measure
Selection Conversion Content Shareable Content Success
Strategy Planning Content Conversation
Define what you want Content marketing Set up a roadmap so The content must be Once the content is The moment the
to be famous for. should result in you know when and easy to share and launched, people will content strategy is up
Select your content increased revenue. where content will be worth sharing. react to it. Be open to and running, you can
domains wisely and Think beforehand shared. Streamline People tend to this engagement measure its impact
be consistent in your about where you the content calendar spread positive, from your audience through a set of
choice. want a conversation with all other relevant and and be prepared to relevant KPIs. These
to take place. Define marketing actions in appealing content answer questions or KPIs should be a
a top conversion order to increase that offers a benefit. to give feedback. combination of
point and lead people impact. business generation
to this point through measures and
your content conversational
measures.

55. 39% have a content plan
48% use the right online
channels to spread content
efficiently
44% has well aware of
the opportunities each
channel has to offer in terms
of spreading content

56. 56% have
employees who
are responsible
for creating content.

57. 36% have bloggers
amongst their employees
44% have an editor
of sorts who plans and
organizes the content

58. Content Management…
To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding content management? Agree
My company has employees who are responsible for creating content 56%
My company knows on which content areas it wants to focus 50%
My company uses the right online channels to spread content effectively 48%
My company is well aware of the opportunities each channel has to offer in terms of spreading content 47%
My company has software to process content efficiently 45%
My company facilitates the sharing of content 45%
My company has an editor of sorts who can plan and organize the content 44%
My company has a plan to convert content into leads 43%
My company has a content plan 39%
My company has bloggers amongst its employees 36%

59. Customer collaboration
has the highest impact on
employee satisfaction and
the likelihood of someone
recommending their
company to others.
Employees value this new
form of consumer
commitment.
Still, to date, only 53%
have already taken decisions
in conjunction with their
customers and only 1 in 2
involve their customers in the
development phase.

60. 37% actively manage
their relationship with
fans and ambassadors

61. 50% involve
customers in the
development of
new products

62. 28% have a small closed fan community
27% have a large open fan community
they consult with
43% have a staff/employee community

63. Collaboration Management…
To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding collaboration management? Agree
My company has already taken decisions in conjunction with its customers 53%
My company involves customers in the development of new service possibilities 50%
My company involves customers when launching new products 48%
My company involves customers in the development of new products 45%
My company has a staff/employee community 43%
My company takes most of its decisions in collaboration with staff and/or customers 41%
My company actively manages its relationships with fans and ambassadors 37%
My company involves customers when choosing new suppliers 29%
My company has a small, closed fan community it consults with 28%
My company has a large, open fan community it consults with 27%

65. Willingness towards Future Investment
To what extent do you agree that, in the future, your company should invest in….?
47%
Overall, less than 50% of
companies are willing to
invest in these 4 pillars
45%
40%
44%

66. It’s time to act! Disbelievers will lag behind….
Companies with a high score
on the 4C pillars display a
significantly higher intention
to keep investing in these 4
pillars, which will result in a
continued growth in
business performance.

67. This will create a gap between
the unwilling majority and the
investing few.
High
18% 11%
Intention to invest in 4C
Low High
Low
62% 10%
Currently investing in 4Cs

68. Placing the 4Cs in a broader perspective….
High
Combining these two
dimensions creates 4
Structural Collaboration
relevant quadrants. Each
quadrant requires a different
approach.
Today, companies have
the opportunity to build Low
structural relationships
with their customers.
Apart from these
structural contacts,
companies can also
benefit from open
relationships with
customers. Low
Social media can help you
generate content efficiently
Reach either on a large scale or on
a one-to-one basis.

69. Placing the 4Cs in a broader perspective….
20%* 15%*
High
Consumer Broad open
Structural Collaboration
consulting collaboration
board
Low High
Conversations
Customer Content
experience
Low
14%* 16%*
Reach
* % of companies who adopt the C pillar today and have the willingness for further investment

70. 4C IMPACT MODEL
Identification
with company
culture
Satisfaction &
recommendation
Social Media
Adoption

71. A close fit in values and social
media adoption have an impact
on 4C integration, which in their
turn have an impact on
satisfaction and recommendation

72. Companies scoring
high on the 4C pillars
boast an average
satisfaction score 23%
and recommendation
score 27% higher than
companies
* High is defined as an average score of minimum 4 on 5 on the 4 pillars.

73. Thank you!
Let’s connect on
linkedin.com/in/stevenvanbelleghem
@steven_insites
Steven@insites.eu

74. The research partners

75. Fieldwork
The field work for this study was
conducted by SSI:
• SSI helps companies make decisions
• By offering access to consumers and
business professionals
• In more than 75 countries
• Through online and telephone
methodologies
• For over 2,000 clients across the globe
www.surveysampling.com
* High is defined as an average score of minimum 4 on 5 on the 4 pillars.

76. Our translate agency parnter
Your foreign-language communication partner
• Translations
• Copywriting
• User-generated content summaries
• Coding of open-ended questions
• Language consultancy
www.no-problem.be

77. InSites Consulting
InSites Consulting was established in 1997, and although a marketing
research company, the founders never really wanted to be market
researchers. InSites Consulting really is a crazy blend of academic
visionaries, passionate marketers and research innovators that are
determined to challenge the status quo of marketing research. Over the
last 10 years the company has grown at an amazing 35% per year.
Today, there’s more than 130 employees working in five offices (BE, NL,
UK, RO, US) getting their energy from helping world leading brands to
improve their marketing efforts and to develop deeper connections with
consumers on a global scale via Research Communities. InSites
Consulting is rewarded with no less than 15 international awards The
recipe for success: a never-ceasing enthusiasm, a lot of hard work, a
culture of sharing, and permanent innovation in research methods and
marketing thought leadership. And last but not least: positively surprising
clients every day.
www.insites-consulting.com