IBM study finds more than half of midmarket companies lack an integrated digital strategy

ARMONK, USA: An IBM global study of C-Suite leaders uncovers a surprising fact about small and midsize companies: they may not be as digitally savvy as they'd like.

The survey's top findings include:

* More than half of midmarket companies lack an integrated digital strategy.

* 65 percent of the midmarket C-Suite business executives recognized that the lack of a cohesive social media plan is the biggest barrier to doing more in the digital space.

* More than half of respondents also cite the need to better understand how social media fits with other operational priorities, and how to measure its return on investment.

Specifically, midmarket CMOs want to put all the components of a strong digital strategy in place. These components include an increased focus on integrating cross channel touchpoints, analytics to capture customer insights, social networks to foster collaboration, and mobile and cloud to achieve advanced operational efficiencies and attract and market to new customers.

Midmarket CMOs aren't alone in their desire to create an integrated digital strategy. The majority of midmarket CIOs surveyed say they aim to digitize their front offices within the next few years as part of an overall effort to focus more on the customer experience. This digitization includes analyzing data generated from customer interactions via social channels and mobile devices, and identifying emerging trends.

IBM surveyed more than 300 midmarket C-Suite business executives worldwide on a variety of business issues, including the expanding role of customer engagement, organizational management, marketing and economic priorities, and future strategic growth plans.