How Social is Delivering the Highest ROI in Enterprise Go-to-Market Strategy

If you're a marketing leader looking for your next big ROI win, it's time to take a closer look at social media. Not just as a channel, but as a strategic engine driving enterprise growth, customer experience (CX), and digital transformation. 

In a recent webinar, IDC’s Gerry Murray and Sprinklr’s Drew Tambling explored why social marketing is outperforming other go-to-market tactics, and what that means for CMOs, content strategists, and CX leaders navigating the AI-first buyer journey. 

What’s driving social’s ROI surge?

The latest IDC MarketScape report reveals that social marketing now delivers the highest ROI among enterprise go-to-market strategies. The reasons are clear: it’s cost-effective, far-reaching, and deeply personal. 

Social allows brands to move beyond transactional marketing. For example, selling a pair of running shoes is just the beginning. Social engagement helps uncover whether the buyer is a trail runner, a casual walker, or training for a marathon. These insights don’t always come from purchase data; they come from conversations and contextual signals. 

This kind of engagement enables brands to deliver value that fits into the customer’s lifestyle, not just their shopping cart. Social platforms provide a continuous feedback loop, allowing marketers to refine messaging, personalize outreach, and build long-term relationships. The ability to listen and respond in real time creates a dynamic environment where customer needs are met proactively. 

Social as a decision intelligence asset

Social media is no longer just a marketing tool; it’s a rich source of decision intelligence. It brings in sentiment, context, and conversational data that enhances every part of the customer journey. These insights are invaluable for making informed decisions across the enterprise.

From product development to pricing strategy, social insights help brands discover new segments, personalize offers, and optimize experiences. As AI agents become more consumer-facing, the ability to respond to nuanced, intent-rich prompts will become a competitive advantage.

Social data can reveal emerging CX trends, customer pain points, and opportunities for innovation. It empowers marketers to move from reactive to proactive strategies, anticipating customer needs and delivering solutions that cater to customers’ preferences. 

What marketing leaders must do now

Marketing leaders have a unique opportunity to harness the power of social, AI, and unified platforms to drive measurable impact. Murray lists five ways brands can stay ahead of the curve: 

1. Treat social as a strategic capability, not just a channel 

2. Audit your content for depth and discoverability — can AI engines find and understand it? 

3. Unify your CX stack — integrate marketing, care, and engagement to deliver seamless experiences 

4. Prepare for agent-to-agent commerce, where your brand’s AI interacts directly with the customer’s AI 

5. Rethink discoverability — optimize for answers and not just keywords 

Why unified platforms matter more than ever

We believe Sprinklr’s recognition as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Social Marketing Software for Large Enterprises 2024-2025 Vendor Assessment is rooted in its unified platform approach. By integrating marketing, care, and engagement, Sprinklr helps enterprises deliver a seamless brand experience across all customer touchpoints. 

In large organizations, customer data is often fragmented across departments. Social can act as a central nervous system, capturing signals from across the digital landscape and routing them to the right teams in real time. This integration ensures that customer interactions are handled with consistency and empathy. 

Whether it’s a billing complaint on Twitter or a product review on Reddit, unified platforms enable brands to respond faster and more intelligently. They also allow for better collaboration across departments, ensuring that marketing, customer service, and product teams are aligned in their approach to customer engagement.

Strategic social marketing is the game-changer

Social marketing is turning to be the showstopper in enterprise strategy. As Gerry Murray noted, social offers a powerful way to enrich customer relationships. And in a world of AI-driven discovery and zero-click transactions, that enrichment is key to driving growth. 

Discover how you can unlock growth opportunities using Sprinklr Social. Get in touch to learn more.