Ragan/NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions White Paper Benchmarks How Social Media Teams Are Structured

Ragan/NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions White Paper Benchmarks How Social Media
Teams Are Structured

Survey of More Than 2,700 Social Media Pros Offers Organizations Rare Chance
to Compare Efforts With Peers

CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sixty-five percent of organizations
pile social media on top of other duties, while only 27 percent employ someone
who focuses exclusively on social media, a new Ragan/NASDAQ OMX Corporate
Solutions survey reveals.

The survey, which aims to uncover the factors impacting how social media teams
are structured, found that organizations are cautious about dedicating
resources to social media, and adding social media to the list of tasks
traditionally assigned to communicators.

"They're doing events, they're putting out newsletters, they're writing press
releases, and now they're handed this task of overseeing Twitter accounts,
Facebook and Pinterest pages," says Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications,
of communicators today.

The results of the survey, a joint effort by Ragan Communications and NASDAQ
OMX Corporate Solutions, are summarized in a whitepaper that allows
organizations to benchmark their social media efforts against organizations of
similar size and industry.

"It is becoming more important than ever for communicators to pause to
evaluate the role of social media within their organizations," said Demetrios
Skalkotos, senior vice president, NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions. "The
Ragan/NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions survey provides insight to help
communicators fully understand the current impact and potential of social
media as a marketing and communications tool that can drive their business,
deliver a positive client experience, create and sustain a positive brand and
reputation."

This 18-page white paper reveals findings from a survey of more than 2,700
social media professionals:

  * Sixty five percent of organizations pile social media on top of other
    responsibilities, while only 27 percent have someone who focuses
    exclusively on social media.
     
  * Social media budgets remained flat in 2012, and are unlikely to increase
    in 2013.
     
  * Seventy percent of respondents are either "dissatisfied" or only "somewhat
    satisfied" with how they measure their social media efforts, compared to a
    mere 31 percent who are "satisfied" or "very satisfied."
     
  * And much, much more!

A six-part article series on Ragan.com will explore the data in depth,
focusing on staffing, measurement, budget, popular platforms, and the question
of who owns social media in organizations.

The white paper and article series will prove invaluable aids to
communicators, marketers, public relations professionals and others seeking
how to get a handle on how others staff, budget and run their organization's
social media efforts.

Download the white paper "Structuring a Social Media Team."

About Ragan Communications

Ragan Communications operates two of the top news and information sites for
the PR and corporate communications industry: Ragan.com and PRDaily.com.
Together, these daily news sites attract more than 800,000 global visitors
monthly.

The Chicago-based company also covers the health care and HR communication
industries (HealthCareCommunication.com and HRCommunication.com). Ragan is the
leading provider of conferences and online training to PR, media relations,
and corporate communications professionals.

About NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions

NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions fuel better business, brand and board
decisions. Forward-thinking public and private companies rely on NASDAQ OMX to
turn investor relations, communications and governance into a source of
competitive advantage. For more information on NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions,
please visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com/services/corporatesolutions/.

CONTACT: Samantha Hosenkamp
         Social Media Director
         Ragan Communications
         SamanthaH@Ragan.com
         619.261.4405