Based on a report by the Forrester Research, advertisers spend somewhat a little time on social media marketing regardless of the current hype on Twitter and Facebook. The data shows that 75% of marketers have budgets lesser than $100,000 for social media campaigns for the next year. The firm resolved that social media is still beyond the mainstream of marketing and is still in the experimental status. This is regardless of the fact that social media marketing requires lesser funding than traditional advertisement efforts.

So why are marketers still hesitant in employing social media marketing for their marketing efforts?

1. Social media’s impact is yet to be quantified.
The popularity of social media is undeniable and it can evidently move information faster than imagined before. But since marketing functions with accepted measurement standards, which social media can’t provide at its present condition, marketers are limited to make use of social media on “as-needed” basis. Marketers require actual data of customers moved through the marketing funnel with social media efforts. Dedicated strategies and programs are necessary to advertise brands successfully as other marketing vehicles have done.

2. Social media is a relatively new marketing strategy and pulling budget for it requires justification.
Marketers are having difficulties justifying their move to pull out some budget from other marketing efforts to social media projects. The management generally requires hard facts of effectivity and efficiency of certain efforts before approving financial support. This, however, is not much of a problem anymore with 53% of the marketers saying that they are expecting an increase in social media spending.

3. Marketers are still clamoring to be educated on social media marketing.
The newness of this strategy is yet to be explored by other marketers who have remained loyal to traditional advertising. Once these marketers and their companies fully understand and appreciate how social media works, they will surely find it a great tool in enabling them to reach their target audience, far more better than they used to with traditional marketing.

The moment these concerns are properly addressed, marketers will surely run to social media for a boost in their marketing efforts and we will all be amazed at how socially driven are we human beings.