2026 Social Pulse: Insights From Modern Marketers With The Social Lights

Question Title

1. Email (Required.)

Question Title

2. Are you a... (Required.)

Independent Consultant

Individual Contributor

Manager

Executive Leader

Question Title

3. How important are these social media marketing priorities for you and your business for 2026? (Required.)

	Not at all important	Slightly important	Neutral	Moderately important	Very important
Customer Engagement: Increasing interaction and building stronger relationships with existing followers	Customer Engagement: Increasing interaction and building stronger relationships with existing followers Not at all important	Customer Engagement: Increasing interaction and building stronger relationships with existing followers Slightly important	Customer Engagement: Increasing interaction and building stronger relationships with existing followers Neutral	Customer Engagement: Increasing interaction and building stronger relationships with existing followers Moderately important	Customer Engagement: Increasing interaction and building stronger relationships with existing followers Very important
Brand Awareness and Reach: Expanding brand visibility and attracting a broader audience	Brand Awareness and Reach: Expanding brand visibility and attracting a broader audience Not at all important	Brand Awareness and Reach: Expanding brand visibility and attracting a broader audience Slightly important	Brand Awareness and Reach: Expanding brand visibility and attracting a broader audience Neutral	Brand Awareness and Reach: Expanding brand visibility and attracting a broader audience Moderately important	Brand Awareness and Reach: Expanding brand visibility and attracting a broader audience Very important
Data Analytics and Insights: Utilizing data from social media to inform broader marketing strategies and decision-making	Data Analytics and Insights: Utilizing data from social media to inform broader marketing strategies and decision-making Not at all important	Data Analytics and Insights: Utilizing data from social media to inform broader marketing strategies and decision-making Slightly important	Data Analytics and Insights: Utilizing data from social media to inform broader marketing strategies and decision-making Neutral	Data Analytics and Insights: Utilizing data from social media to inform broader marketing strategies and decision-making Moderately important	Data Analytics and Insights: Utilizing data from social media to inform broader marketing strategies and decision-making Very important
Social Commerce: Integrating direct sales through social media platforms	Social Commerce: Integrating direct sales through social media platforms Not at all important	Social Commerce: Integrating direct sales through social media platforms Slightly important	Social Commerce: Integrating direct sales through social media platforms Neutral	Social Commerce: Integrating direct sales through social media platforms Moderately important	Social Commerce: Integrating direct sales through social media platforms Very important
Customer Service and Support: Using social media as a platform for addressing customer inquiries and issues quickly	Customer Service and Support: Using social media as a platform for addressing customer inquiries and issues quickly Not at all important	Customer Service and Support: Using social media as a platform for addressing customer inquiries and issues quickly Slightly important	Customer Service and Support: Using social media as a platform for addressing customer inquiries and issues quickly Neutral	Customer Service and Support: Using social media as a platform for addressing customer inquiries and issues quickly Moderately important	Customer Service and Support: Using social media as a platform for addressing customer inquiries and issues quickly Very important
Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among followers and encouraging user-generated content	Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among followers and encouraging user-generated content Not at all important	Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among followers and encouraging user-generated content Slightly important	Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among followers and encouraging user-generated content Neutral	Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among followers and encouraging user-generated content Moderately important	Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among followers and encouraging user-generated content Very important
Lead Generation and Conversion: Driving traffic and converting social media interactions into sales or leads	Lead Generation and Conversion: Driving traffic and converting social media interactions into sales or leads Not at all important	Lead Generation and Conversion: Driving traffic and converting social media interactions into sales or leads Slightly important	Lead Generation and Conversion: Driving traffic and converting social media interactions into sales or leads Neutral	Lead Generation and Conversion: Driving traffic and converting social media interactions into sales or leads Moderately important	Lead Generation and Conversion: Driving traffic and converting social media interactions into sales or leads Very important
Personalization and Tailored Messaging Experimentation: Tailoring content and campaigns to specific audience segments based on behavior and preferences	Personalization and Tailored Messaging Experimentation: Tailoring content and campaigns to specific audience segments based on behavior and preferences Not at all important	Personalization and Tailored Messaging Experimentation: Tailoring content and campaigns to specific audience segments based on behavior and preferences Slightly important	Personalization and Tailored Messaging Experimentation: Tailoring content and campaigns to specific audience segments based on behavior and preferences Neutral	Personalization and Tailored Messaging Experimentation: Tailoring content and campaigns to specific audience segments based on behavior and preferences Moderately important	Personalization and Tailored Messaging Experimentation: Tailoring content and campaigns to specific audience segments based on behavior and preferences Very important

Question Title

4. How are you prioritizing social media to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

Question Title

5. What percentage of your total marketing budget is allocated to social media? (Required.)

>75%

50-75%

25-50%

10-25%

<10%

Question Title

6. In 2 years, do you foresee that percentage of your total marketing budget allocated to social media increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? (Required.)

Increasing

Decreasing

Staying the same

Question Title

7. How do you currently measure the ROI of your social media marketing efforts? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Brand Mentions

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

Social Media Sentiment

Click to Website or App

Reach and Impressions

Social Share of Voice

Saves

Lifetime Value of a Customer (LTV)

Engagement Rate

Conversion Rate

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Lead Generation

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

8. Which social media platforms have been most effective for your brand in driving purchase interest and sales? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Facebook

TikTok

Discord

Twitch

Threads

YouTube

Instagram

X (Twitter)

Blue Sky

Snapchat

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

9. Which aspects of your social media marketing are currently affected by AI and automation? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Automated Scheduling and Posting

Automated Customer Support

Compliance and Moderation

Predictive Analytics

A/B Testing and Performance Analysis

Influencer Identification

Content Creation

Personalized User Experiences

Social Listening and Sentiment Analysis

Ad Targeting and Optimization

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

10. Please select the statement that best describes how you use influencer marketing as part of your social media strategy. (Required.)

Core Strategy: Influencer marketing is central to our social media efforts and drives significant engagement.

Supplementary Tactic: Influencer marketing is used occasionally to support broader campaigns.

Experimental: Currently exploring and testing influencer marketing but it’s not a significant part of our strategy.

Not a Focus: We do not actively use influencer marketing.

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

11. What challenges have you encountered with your current Influencer program? (select all that apply) (Required.)

Scaling to a larger number of influencers

Measuring influencer ROI/performance

Quality of influencer posts

Program execution

Influencer reporting

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

12. How are you prioritizing influencer to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

Engaging loyal audiences

N/A

Winning new audiences

N/A

Gaining consumer insight

N/A

Building brand relevance

N/A

Driving conversion

N/A

Question Title

13. How do you currently measure the success of your Influencer marketing? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Earned Media Value (EMV)

Content Quality

Sentiment Analysis

I do not currently measure the success of my influencer marketing.

Conversions and Sales

Engagement Rates

Brand Awareness

Audience Growth

Return on Investment (ROI)

Other (please specify)

Question Title

14. Please choose the statement that best describes your confidence level in applying insights from your organic social data to your business objectives. (choose one)

I’m an expert

I am comfortable

I am somewhat comfortable

I’m a beginner

I don’t know where to start

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

15. Who are your key audiences for your organic social reporting today? Please select all that apply. (Required.)

Board Members

Executive Leadership Team

Manager + Director Level

Social Media Team

Other (please specify)

2026 Social Pulse: Insights From Modern Marketers With The Social Lights

Question Title

1. Email (Required.)

Question Title

2. Are you a... (Required.)

Question Title

3. How important are these social media marketing priorities for you and your business for 2026? (Required.)

Question Title

4. How are you prioritizing social media to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

Question Title

5. What percentage of your total marketing budget is allocated to social media? (Required.)

Question Title

6. In 2 years, do you foresee that percentage of your total marketing budget allocated to social media increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? (Required.)

Question Title

7. How do you currently measure the ROI of your social media marketing efforts? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

8. Which social media platforms have been most effective for your brand in driving purchase interest and sales? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

9. Which aspects of your social media marketing are currently affected by AI and automation? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

10. Please select the statement that best describes how you use influencer marketing as part of your social media strategy. (Required.)

Question Title

11. What challenges have you encountered with your current Influencer program? (select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

12. How are you prioritizing influencer to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

Question Title

13. How do you currently measure the success of your Influencer marketing? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

14. Please choose the statement that best describes your confidence level in applying insights from your organic social data to your business objectives. (choose one)

Question Title

15. Who are your key audiences for your organic social reporting today? Please select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

16. What are the biggest challenges you face in executing your social media marketing strategy? (Required.)

Question Title

17. How do you hope to see social and influencer marketing evolve in the next two years?

2026 Social Pulse: Insights From Modern Marketers With The Social Lights

Question Title

* 1. Email (Required.)

Question Title

* 2. Are you a... (Required.)

Question Title

* 3. How important are these social media marketing priorities for you and your business for 2026? (Required.)

Question Title

* 4. How are you prioritizing social media to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

Question Title

* 5. What percentage of your total marketing budget is allocated to social media? (Required.)

Question Title

* 6. In 2 years, do you foresee that percentage of your total marketing budget allocated to social media increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? (Required.)

Question Title

* 7. How do you currently measure the ROI of your social media marketing efforts? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

* 8. Which social media platforms have been most effective for your brand in driving purchase interest and sales? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

* 9. Which aspects of your social media marketing are currently affected by AI and automation? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

* 10. Please select the statement that best describes how you use influencer marketing as part of your social media strategy. (Required.)

Question Title

* 11. What challenges have you encountered with your current Influencer program? (select all that apply) (Required.)

Question Title

* 12. How are you prioritizing influencer to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

Question Title

* 13. How do you currently measure the success of your Influencer marketing? Select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

* 14. Please choose the statement that best describes your confidence level in applying insights from your organic social data to your business objectives. (choose one)

Question Title

* 15. Who are your key audiences for your organic social reporting today? Please select all that apply. (Required.)

Question Title

* 16. What are the biggest challenges you face in executing your social media marketing strategy? (Required.)

Question Title

* 17. How do you hope to see social and influencer marketing evolve in the next two years?

1. Email (Required.)

2. Are you a... (Required.)

3. How important are these social media marketing priorities for you and your business for 2026? (Required.)

4. How are you prioritizing social media to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

5. What percentage of your total marketing budget is allocated to social media? (Required.)

6. In 2 years, do you foresee that percentage of your total marketing budget allocated to social media increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? (Required.)

7. How do you currently measure the ROI of your social media marketing efforts? Select all that apply. (Required.)

8. Which social media platforms have been most effective for your brand in driving purchase interest and sales? Select all that apply. (Required.)

9. Which aspects of your social media marketing are currently affected by AI and automation? Select all that apply. (Required.)

10. Please select the statement that best describes how you use influencer marketing as part of your social media strategy. (Required.)

11. What challenges have you encountered with your current Influencer program? (select all that apply) (Required.)

12. How are you prioritizing influencer to solve business or marketing problems? Please rank the following with 1 being your top priority. (Required.)

13. How do you currently measure the success of your Influencer marketing? Select all that apply. (Required.)

14. Please choose the statement that best describes your confidence level in applying insights from your organic social data to your business objectives. (choose one)

15. Who are your key audiences for your organic social reporting today? Please select all that apply. (Required.)

16. What are the biggest challenges you face in executing your social media marketing strategy? (Required.)

17. How do you hope to see social and influencer marketing evolve in the next two years?