The vast majority of Canadian executives at large and mid-sized organizations say that social media has the potential to impact their corporate brand. However, some still consider it  a waste of time, with the public sector having a more positive view than the private sector.

One in six says that social media is the most important means for their organization to engage the public about their brand; while 31% say it plays a major role and 43% say it plays a limited role. Just 10% of organizations don't bother engaging in social media. These are some of the findings of a SAS/Leger Marketing survey of more than 1,000 Canadian executives conducted earlier this year.

Provincially, Alberta and Ontario, and Quebec executives are more on board than those in Atlantic Canada; with about one in five executives (20%, 19%, and 15% respectively) saying social media is their most important means of communicating with the public. Just 6% of Atlantic Canada's executives feel this way.

In the public versus private debate, public sector executives are more likely than private sector executives (21% to 14%) to say social media is their most important means of public engagement.

"Our research is showing that governments in Canada are increasingly embracing social media," says Dr. Alison Brooks, Director of Public Sector Research for research firm IDC Canada.

 "Deployment costs are low, participatory gains high, and the ease and immediacy of impact make the technologies hard to ignore. Add this to the fact that much of the fear-mongering about the risks to privacy, security and information management posed by social media have been dispelled and you have a recipe for forward thinking government organizations intent on leveraging social media channels."

At the industry level, which represents respondents from both the public and private sectors, finance and banking leads the way with 28% saying social media is the most important means of communicating with the public about their brand. One in five advertising, media, and communication companies (21%) say the same, while only 6% of the health services / pharmaceutical industry say it is their most important avenue for public engagement. Nationally, 16% of respondents say this.

"Our research has found that the public sector has some of the most aggressive social media strategies of any market segment," says Tim Hickernell, Lead Research Analyst with London-based Info-Tech Research Group. "Social networks are the new citizen meeting places, where government can quickly survey the needs of the citizenry. Social channels are also proving to be extremely effective for government outreach and education, because social sharing spreads the desired messages much further than traditional media channels."

Social Media a waste of time for some

Nationally, 10% of executives interviewed say social media is a waste of time. From an industry perspective, 15% of construction, manufacturing, real estate and legal executives say it is a waste of time. Less than half as many, 7%, of retail execs agree. The private sector was also more skeptical than the public sector with 12% (versus 7%) saying it is a waste of time.

Ontario, for all of its leading edge social media commitment, is also the most sceptical province when it comes to social media in general, with 14% saying it is a passing fancy that will be gone in a few years, this compared to just 3% in Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and 5% in Quebec.  On the industry side, the  advertising and communications communities are more likely than the construction/ engineering/ manufacturing or food/ retail industries to say it will all be gone in a few years (21% versus 6% each, respectively)   Nationally, 9% say social media is a passing fancy.

Some additional stats

    * 60% of execs say their organization often or sometimes monitors social media channels for mentions about their business.

    * 20% rarely monitor social media and 12% never do.

    * 12% of public sector execs say people who use social media are a vocal minority whose opinions don't matter much.

    * 6% of private sector executives feel the same. Nationally 8% say this.

    * 51% of construction, engineering and manufacturing executives say social media has no impact on their business.

    * 14% of health services / pharmaceutical executives feel this way.

    * 50% of executives say they don't have the resources to monitor social media.