Last year we ran some research which found that, when it came to social media, UK marketers still have a lot to learn with, for example, only 7% saying they measured the returns they got from social media.

So I was interested to spot some research this week from Alterian which surveyed 1,462 global marketers (71% were in the US, 17% in Europe) and found that 70% aren’t reporting to senior management teams about mentions of their brand on social media.

One-third (33%) said they have little or no understanding of what conversations are going on about their brand.

The full obligatory infographic is below.

Potential brand reputation issues

It’s still slightly concerning that many brands simply don’t have the visibility of what is being said about them online.

Businesses don’t necessarily need to all have a full blown social media strategy in place (it won’t be the right route for some), but simple monitoring of brand mentions is pretty crucial and isn’t hard to do.

You might like to check out our guide to putting in place a sustainable social media strategy, which gives brands some simple hints and tips.