Brands using Twitter to boost marketing efforts are still uncertain as to Twitter’s true value, according to a recent survey conducted by Social Media Marketing University, which found that 45.1 percent of brands reported that “measuring ROI and results” is their greatest challenge when using the platform for marketing, followed by “building an audience” (42.1 percent) and “engagement” (36.8 percent).

Overall, more than 64.9 percent of brands agree that Twitter is an effective marketing tool, while 30.6 percent remain undecided.

“Social media has become a significant play in the marketing world, so much so that brands are almost forced to leverage it, even if they are unsure of its value,” says John Souza, founder of Social Media Marketing University. “The challenge for marketers will be to solidify best practices to measure ROI on all social media platforms as they face increased pressure from the C-Suite.”

Other significant findings include:
• 16.9 percent of brands are not aware that Twitter offers paid services and 34.7 percent are not currently interested in using Twitter’s paid services
• Despite the popularity of video marketing, Vine remains underutilized with just 2.4 percent of brands using the feature on a regular basis
• Most brands using Twitter as a marketing tool do so to increase brand awareness (79.4 percent)
• Brands are using Twitter predominantly to create engagement during events (62.4 percent), build relationships with influencers (62.4 percent) and monitor brand mentions (58.4 percent.)