The logistics and supply chain industries are realizing benefits from social media

A recent survey found that companies within the logistics and supply chain industries are realizing benefits from social media.

Social media use and benefits

The survey found that social media use by companies within the logistics and supply chain industries is relatively recent.  Sixty-four percent of respondents reported that their company has used social media for between one and five years.  Thirty-six percent of respondents reported social media use of less than one year.

Despite the short period of time that these companies have been using social media, benefits are being seen.  Sixty-eight percent of respondents report realizing benefits from using social media. The primary benefits reported were: increased engagement with customers, increased market intelligence, increased business intelligence and an increase in the number of leads.

What social networks are companies using?

Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are the top three social networks by use.  Ninety-five percent of respondents reported that their company uses Twitter, 86 percent reported using LinkedIn, and 77 percent reported using Facebook.  Interestingly, respondents reported Twitter and LinkedIn to be very impactful with respect to their business, while only 15 percent identified Facebook as very impactful.

Challenges

The survey asked respondents what challenges their company faces with respect to social media use.  Time constraints (48 percent) and budgetary constraints (43 percent) were the top two challenges identified.