According to the Observatory of social networks in Spanish SMEs published in February 2013 by the Banesto Foundation, 46% of SMEs in the agricultural sector (agriculture, livestock and fisheries) used a social network to communicate with customers. Interest in social networks in this sector is growing, and the two most used social networks by companies are Facebook and Twitter.
So far, social networks are most used to provide products and services, but companies have discovered, little by little, that in social networks there are many more possibilities. Consider the different uses, according to the study:
- 35% offer products and services.
- 35% provide corporate information, pictures of their facilities, events, special offers and promotions.
- 24% talk and reflect on the sector.
- 23.5% use it as a direct communication channel with customers.
- 18% are in contact with other companies.
- 17% use it for direct sales of its products.
Agricultural sector companies are the ones with a greater index of professionalism in the management of communication via social networks and for 72% of them, this work is done by professionals. Surprising that 100% of SMEs agree on the ability of the networks to present the company in the market and how they contribute to improve competitiveness.
- 71% believe that they can be more competitive because with social media it is easier to communicate with customers.
- 57% referred to the possibility of expanding sales channels and support for internationalization through social networks.
- 51% noted that the networks will represent a cost savings.
- 28% believe that social networks can be a good tool for managing human resources and internal communications, as well as a key factor in the development of the company.
Regarding the level of importance attached to social networks within the corporate communication of the agricultural sector, it is worth noting the following:
- 14.3% believe that social media is more important than the rest of channels.
- 43% think it is just as important.
- Another 43% say they are a nice addition.
It is curious that agriculture SMEs, an industry in which the use of social networks is still limited, are the ones that best value their potential. The valuation of these tools by enterprises in agriculture has risen from 6.97 in 2011 to 8.14 in 2013.
Do you think that something is changing in the agriculture industry?
You can download the report here: Estudio Nacional sobre el uso de las redes sociales por parte de las PYMEs españolas
Source: ChilMercados
