• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 31, 2012

Hearst Digital Media has tapped social media management firm Sprinklr to help take its social strategy to the next level.
 
A unit of Hearst Magazines, Hearst Digital Media will use Sprinklr’s tools to help its media properties -- including Elle, Cosmopolitan and House Beautiful -- post across social networks, as well as review analytics and measure engagement.
 
According to Sprinklr CEO Ragy Thomas, Hearst’s spanning media empire requires serious managing.

“Hearst demonstrates exactly why managing social interactions for a global enterprise is critical -- across channels, functions, geographies and business units,” said Thomas.
 
That’s not to say that Hearst needed any help in the social department. Brian Madden, executive director of social media at Hearst Digital Media, said the unit has already experienced “incredible growth … in social over the last year."
 
Still, Madden said Sprinklr’s services were attractive because they cut down on redundancies -- and would likely streamline Hearst’s social strategy.    
 
Sprinklr also delivers Facebook Apps across multiple brands, while allowing each to customize their offerings.
 
Although it has fierce competition in the social media management space, Sprinklr's client list includes Dell, Virgin America, Cisco Systems, Samsung and Newell Rubbermaid.
 
Despite continued reservations from brands, Forrester Research has predicted that social media will have the highest cumulative aggregate growth rate across all channels through 2014. Furthermore, Forrester recently predicted that spending on social media marketing will catch up to email marketing by the end of 2012.