Topshop remains the top UK brand on both Facebook and Twitter, in terms of the number of followers, according to new research. The study measures how brands are using the top social networks and the subsequent effects on their follower base.
The latest Social Media Benchmark results from eDigitalResearch indicates that specialist retailer Ann Summers has seen some of the biggest growth to their social media fan base in recent months after a string of successfully integrated marketing campaigns.
Ann Summers attracted more than 250,000 new fans in the last three months alone after releasing a number of high-profile campaigns, such as their People’s Panel concept and search for a new face of the brand.
As a result, the retailer has rocketed 36 places up the table since the last study back in December 2011 and into eighteenth in the Facebook league table.
Supermarket brand Tesco have also made similar strides with their Twitter account and make it into the Twitter Top 20 for the first time thanks to their Tesco offers page.
Topshop continued to reign at the top of the social media leagues having reclaimed the Twitter top spot from ASOS and breaking through the 2 million ‘likes’ barrier with their Facebook page.
There was little movement at the very top of both of Facebook and Twitter league tables as top performing retailers continue to gain from their existing follower base.
Top 20 Twitter brands
Topshop claim back the top spot in the Twitter Social Media league table having added more new followers than any other retailer.
Tesco have made big strides with Twitter account and made it into the Top 20 for the first time thanks to their Tesco offers page.
The study found that whilst fashion retailers and department stores continue to dominate the top half of both overall league tables, it is the supermarket sector that is seeing the biggest substantial growth to their social media pages, especially their Twitter accounts.
Derek Eccleston, Head of Research at eDigitalResearch, explains, “The social media exposure that integrated campaigns can bring to brands is phenomenal and will become an important part of reaching new customers and engaging with existing ones over the coming months”.
Measuring ‘talk about’ figures to asses brand buzz
eDigitalResearch also measured retailers ‘talking about’ numbers for their Facebook pages, a Facebook measurement that takes into account user activity and interactions with brands, such as wall posts, comments and sharing pages.
Results show that levels often correspond with the number of followers brands have, reaffirming the importance of working towards building a large social media following and engaging with as many users as possible.
Derek continues, “The latest Social Media Benchmark results demonstrate, once again, the importance of having a strong social media presence. Previous eDigialResearch consumer results reveal that 25% of consumers now log into their Facebook accounts more than once a day. It is therefore imperative that retailers remain active and create an engaging and integrated social media campaign in order to utilise the large amount of consumers that social media platforms attract on a daily basis”.
ASOS tops Google+ league
For the first time, eDigitalResearch also measured the presence of retailers on new and emerging social media platforms, including Google+.
ASOS topped the very first Google+ Social Media Benchmark league table with a considerably bigger following than their rivals.
Topman came in second, with a handful of other retailers, including Tesco, gaining a small follower base through reputation only by simply ‘holding’ the space without actually posting any content as of yet.
Other retailers lower down the table, including Tesco, are gaining their Google+ following from reputation alone having not posted a single comment of their account page yet.
The Social Media Benchmark is witnessing a big rise in the number of retailers integrating ‘gamification’ features to their social media accounts, especially Facebook pages, to help keep users engaged with the brand.
However, there was still plenty of room for improvement, the study found. Engagement tracking shows that a lot of retailers are failing to update their accounts over weekend periods, often leaving customer service queries unanswered.
To improve customer relations, brands need to ensure that they research and understand their social media audience behaviour to best target information and messages to them, the report said.
Source: http://www.edigitalresearch.com/
