topline findings from wave v of toolbox.com/agencypja social media survey

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media IndexThe Role of Social Media in Professional Brand Building and Reputation Management

brought to you by Toolbox.com and PJA Advertising + Marketing — Survey Fielded: January 6-22, 2010

of 23© 2010 Toolbox.com and PJA Advertising + Marketing

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media IndexExecutive Summary

Completed in January 2010, the fifth wave of our multi-year study of social media use among global IT decision-makers and influencers demonstrates the rising importance of social media as a tool in professional brand-building and reputation management. For this wave of research, HR and Finance community members at Toolbox.com were surveyed as well, offering deeper insight into how social media usage compares among different verticals.*

Key Findings:

Active participation in social media is seen as key to career advancement: both building •competitive edge as a job candidate and keeping it as a professional.

Social media consumption among IT executives and professionals has stabilized at approximately •42% compared to 31% for editorial sources and 27% for vendor sources.

IT respondents named staying current (71%) and networking with peers (69%) as the most popular •uses of social media. Among HR and Finance professionals, responses were 78% and 73% for staying current and 71% and 62% for networking, respectively.

55% of IT professionals say social media is important in building their personal brand. Among HR •and Finance professionals, responses were 52% and 49%, respectively.

More than half of IT decision-makers have responded to a question posed by a peer, and 50% have •posted a question themselves.

All three groups believe social media’s biggest impact on career is to increase their level of •expertise.

* Results based on 4,364 completed responses to 17-question survey


Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media IndexOverview

Study Goals:

To confirm the role of social media in professional 1. brand building and reputation management among global IT decision-makers and influencers

To expand the focus of this ongoing study to HR 2. and Finance professionals and look for meaningful differences

Survey Details:

E-mail blast to 533,955 IT community members, •18,892 HR community members, and 10,276 Finance community members at Toolbox.com. The survey was fielded from January 6-22, 2010.

17-question survey •

4,364 completed responses•

Note: User-generated content and social media tools are defined as blogs, podcasts, online communities, wikis, and profiles/social networking.

Asia21%

Europe17%

Rest of World11%

North America51%

What is your geographic location? [Global IT results]

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Part 1: Ongoing Use of Social Media and User-Generated Tools


Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media IndexTracking Media Consumption in Wave V

Social media consumption has leveled off from Wave IV (July 2009), but continues to outpace vendor and editorial content consumption.

3.05

2.792.85

2.88

2.71

3.35

3.543.35

3.06

2.88

4.59

4.723.74

3.26

3.48Social media/user-generated content(e.g., Toolbox.com, Wikipedia, LinkedIn)

Online editorial media(e.g., InformationWeek, CNN, WSJ.com)

Online vendor content(e.g., vendor-produced

white papers, webcasts)

How many hours per week do you spend online consuming or participating in the following media types? [Global IT results]

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

Wave

Wave

Wave


Social media consumption among IT executives and professionals leveled off compared to Wave IV (Jul 2009). Social media still outpaces editorial media in its popularity, however.

Wave 1

Social Media

Editorial Media

Social Media

Editorial Media

Social Media

Editorial Media

Social Media

Editorial Media

Social Media

Editorial Media

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

132

190

139

195

121

135

111

118

100

104Note: The Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index uses editorial media consumption in Wave 1 to calculate a mean score of 100.{ }

100

Which of the following statements best describes how you use social media for professional use? [Global IT results]

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Tracking Media Consumption in Wave V


When comparing the indices, there has been an impressive growth in social media consumption across job titles with business decision-makers showing the most dramatic increases.

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Tracking Media Consumption in Wave V

126

138 135

221

179

100

114125

168162

104

120

137

196 192

125116

136

160 161

116122

154

168163

ExecutiveDecision-Maker

ITDecision-Maker

BusinessManager

Wave 1: June 2007Wave 2: December 2007Wave 3: August 2008Wave 4: July 2009Wave 5: January 2010

IT Analyst/Admin

Developer

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5Wave

Note: The Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index uses editorial media consumption in Wave 1 to calculate a mean score of 100.{ }

100

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Part 2 : Attitudes on the Role of Social Media in Brand Building and Reputation Management


Staying current and networking with peers are the most popular uses of social media in the professional setting.

Sharing content with peers

Networking with other professionals

Staying current

Searching for jobs

Advancing your career (building skills and expertise)

Managing your reputation (demonstrating expertise/building personal brand)

Other (please specify) 6.2%24.5%

58.1%

32.7%

70.9%68.6%

57.4%

Staying current

Networking with other professionals 71.0%

78.0%

Which of the following statements best describes how you use social media for professional use? Please select as many as apply. [Global IT results]

Which of the following statements best describes how you use social media for professional use? [Global HR results] Please select as many as apply.

Staying current

Networking with other professionals 62.0%

73.0%

Which of the following statements best describes how you use social media for professional use? [Global Finance results] Please select as many as apply.

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Role of Social Media in Brand Building and Reputation Management



Best practice communities are used slightly more (60%) than professional networks like LinkedIn (54%) for career advancement among IT professionals and executives.

Best practice communities (Toolbox.com, StackOverflow)

Vendor-run communities (Oracle Technology Network, IBM Developerworks)

Professional networks (LinkedIn, Ryze)

Social networks (Facebook, MySpace)

Microblogging (Twitter, Tumblr)

Sharing networks (SlideShare, Digg)

Blogs (Blogger, LiveJournal)

I don’t use social media for career advancement

Other (please specify)

6.2%10.3%

20.3%

18.9%3.3%

13.7%

36.7%

54.1%34.7%

59.7%

In the last six months, which of the following social media tools have you used to advance your career? This includes searching for new jobs/opportunities, networking with peers to fill current knowledge gaps, and training. Please select as many as apply. [Global IT results]



Social media’s greatest role in career advancement is increasing level of expertise in current positions (56%). Increasing confidence with a support structure was a distant second.

Created new job opportunities for me

Increased my responsibilities in my current position

Resulted in a promotion

Resulted in new business/project opportunities

Increased my level of expertise in my current position

Increased confidence with a support structure through professional networking

Benchmarked my skills against peers

Participation in social media has not impacted my career


38.4%25.9%

27.2%3.7%

56.7%

21.3%

6.9%21.4%

21.6%

How has your participation in social media had a positive impact on your career? Please select as many as apply. [Global IT results]



Social media complements or increases the respondents’ value as job candidates.

How does your social media presence affect your value as a job candidate? [Global IT results]

Greatly increases value9.3%

Increases value38.6%

Neutral49.2%

Creates risk and lowers value2.5%

Creates risk and significantly lowers value0.5%



Social media complements or has no effect on the majority of traditional career-building channels.

Training

Resumés

Career Fairs

Headhunters/Recruiters

Offline Networking

Online Job Boards

No Effect Replaces Compliments

How has your participation in social media (profiles, blogs, online communities, etc.) had an impact on your use of traditional channels in building your career? [Global IT results]

32% 6% 61%

46% 10% 44%

60% 12% 28%

52% 10% 38%

50% 9% 41%

50% 10% 40%



More than half of respondents say social media is important or very important for building personal brand.

How important is active participation in social media for building reputation and your personal brand? Active participation means engaging and interacting with other professionals through social media by posting and answering relevant questions. [Global IT results]

Very important15.9%

Important40.0%

Neutral31.7%

Not very important8.9%

Waste of time3.4%



Professional networks and best practice communities lead the way in reputation-building channels.

Best practice communities (Toolbox.com, StackOverflow)

Vendor-run communities (Oracle Technology Network, IBM Developerworks)

Professional networks (LinkedIn, Ryze)

Social networks (Facebook, MySpace)

Microblogging (Twitter, Tumblr)

Sharing networks (SlideShare, Digg)

Blogs (Blogger, LiveJournal)

I don’t use social media for career advancement


7.2%

15.0%

24.5%3.0%

11.8%31.5%

50.4%

25.4%

48.0%

Which of the following social media channels do you use in building your reputation online? Please select as many as apply. [Global IT results]



More than half of respondents have replied to a question on a social media site in the last six months, while just over half have posted a question themselves.

Replied to a question posted by a peer

Rated peer contributions (answer or article)

Commented on an article or entry posted by a peer (blogs)

Posted a question to community members/peers

Shared content that was posted by my peers

Built knowledge network through connections

No community interaction or engagement

43.0%

14.6%

34.9%

51.3%

39.2%

28.4%

54.3%

Which of the following statements best describes your participation in social media in the last six months? Please select as many as apply. [Global IT results]



Quality and frequency of posting is seen as the most important attribute in a social media expert, followed by promptness and language proficiency.

Promptness in response

Deep experience and background in a particular field of expertise

Thoughtful and detailed response

Concise answers that directly address the specific question

The ability to reference multiple sources

Quantity and frequency of posting/responding

Language proficiency

When you rate a peer/community member as an “expert”, which of the following attributes do you look for? [Global IT results]

Please rate on a scale of 1-5 where 1 = “Least Important” and 5 = “Most Important”.

Promptness in response

Deep experience and background ina particular field of expertise

Thoughtful and detailed response

Concise answers that directlyaddress the specific question

The ability to referencemultiple sources

Quantity and frequencyof posting/responding

Language proficiency

No Effect 2 3

When you rate a peer/community member as an "expert", which of the following attributes do you look for? [Global IT results] Please rate on a scale of 1-5 where 1 = "Least Important" and 5 = “Most Important”.

4 Most Important

9% 13% 32% 29% 17%

5% 6% 15% 31% 43%

5% 5% 16% 36% 38%

5% 4% 14% 33% 44%

7% 13% 36% 31% 13%

14% 21% 36% 22% 8%

9% 15% 33% 29% 15%

3.3

4.0

4.0

4.1

3.3

2.9

3.3



More than 1,100 respondents offered opinions on the value of social media participation. Most noted the value of connectedness, consolidation of knowledge, and building out one’s professional network.

Among the responses:

“The more you put yourself out there, the greater the response will be.”

“There are very few new problems, so no need to recreate the wheel to find solutions.”

“It’s another tool. If you use it, you have more advantage.”

“The key factors of social media are Following, Doing, and Promoting in the disguise of Sharing.”

“For my profession it is largely a credibility factor. It helps me to demonstrate that I am not a fossil.”

Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Part 3 : Demographic Background - IT Respondents


Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index Demographic Background - IT Respondents

What is your job role? [Global IT results]

IT Decision-Maker13.6%

Business Manager5.0%

Developer22.1%

IT Analyst/Admin45.4%

Other9.6%

Executive Decision-Maker4.4%



What is your business focus/industry? [Global IT results]

1.2%36

0.5%14

7.0%216

2.9%89

0.9%28

2.7%83

14.0%431

1.6%49

5.3%165

2.1%64

2.0%63

6.5%202

6.0%184

0.5%15

Consulting (Technology)

Energy (oil, gas, etc.)

HR/Staffing/PEO

Consulting (Other)

Agriculture

Data Processing Services

Healthcare

Government (incl military)

Comm. Providers (ISP/Telco/Other)

Education

Engineering

Banking/Finance

Construction/Architecture

Aerospace 3.7%113

10.6%328

1.3%41

1.6%49

1.2%36

1.3%41

2.6%79

12.6%390

2.1%65

0.9%27

0.3%10

3.6%112

5.1%158

Research/Development

Other

Non-Profit

Wholesale/Retail

Media/Entertainment

Transportation/Utilities

Technology (hardware)

VAR/VAD

Marketing/Advertising

Travel/Hospitality

Manufacturing/Process

Insurance/Legal/Real Estate

Technology (software)



What is your company size? [Global IT results]

Less than1,000 employees42.7%

Between 1,000 and4,999 employees20.6%

Between 5,000 and10,000 employees

10.1%

More than10,000 employees

26.6%

Asia21%

Europe17%

Rest of World11%

North America51%

What is your geographic location? [Global IT results]


Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index About the Authors

Toolbox.com helps professionals do their jobs better by enabling them to easily share knowledge with experienced peers. The online communities at Toolbox.com include professional networking, blogs, discussion groups, wikis, and a vendor research directory through which executives and professionals collaborate to solve problems, make decisions, and increase workplace efficiency. Through the community, advertising partners can engage prospects and customers either directly or by integrating their message through a proprietary contextual matching engine. This combination of community and advertising value has made Toolbox.com a leading destination for professionals and a leader in online advertising. Toolbox.com is a division of Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD). For more information, visit www.toolbox.com.

PJA is proud to be named 2008 Agency of the Year by BtoB Magazine. PJA is a $74 million advertising and marketing agency with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and San Francisco, California. PJA serves a global roster of technology, life science and healthcare clients that includes: Novell, GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Akamai, Trend Micro, Infor, and TriZetto. For more information, visit www.agencypja.com.

topline findings from wave v of toolbox.com/agencypja social media survey

Business

role of social media

social media tools

social media usage

ongoing use of social

popular uses of social

compja socialsocial

wave vsocial media consumption

thefollowing media types