ICON publishes facts about social media marketing in Malta

Excitement about social networks and the possibilities they provide has reached fever pitch, and for many, the big question is “How can social media help me reach clients and engage with them?” Many a brand has successfully used social media to drive more business through their doors, as well as engaging in a holistic manner with their client base.

Although many local businesses regularly use social media in their marketing and brand awareness efforts, the kind of business intelligence which is readily available about overseas markets has been sadly lacking in Malta.

Web development powerhouse ICON decided that this status quo was not a desirable position to be in for any Maltese business. This knowledge is extremely important and so ICON carried out an intense and extensive study of the practices local businesses adopt when using social media.

A number of local organisations are well established when it comes to social media, many more are still dabbling and trying to find a space they fit in and feel will work for them. ICON’s research will be of great help not only to these businesses, but anyone with even a passing interest in the social media spectrum locally.

ICON’s study gives precious insight into how local marketers are using social media. Participants were asked dozens of questions and their answers form the basis of the Social Media and Business landscape in Malta. The study is incisive and covers all the major areas, while the results are surprising in some sections. One example of this is the sheer scale of how many local companies are using social media in some form or another: a staggering 85%.

The basic tenet of social media usage for business; that it generates business exposure, has also been confirmed in the local market. Furthermore, Social Media campaigns were correlated to an increase in web traffic and a climb in search rankings within specific industries and following specific use.

One of the areas marketers are increasingly concerned with is measuring the return on investment (ROI) from their social media. Although this is possible, marketers often want figures fast so as to justify their budgets and expenditure.

The spread of tools is also covered ably in the report, not only according to which social network is used most, but also which businesses use which networks. This may be essential data for companies operating in both the B2C and B2B sectors.

Moreover, social media outsourcing and what to outsource is demonstrated in the ICON study. Interesting trends and patterns emerge here as to what local companies prefer to keep in house and what they feel comfortable outsourcing, as well as the benefits of doing so.

This study highlights that marketers are very eager to learn more about social media. If your aim is to learn more too, the full report is downloadable for FREE from ICON’s website at www.icon.com.mt/socialmedia.