Zurich, March 2, 2010 - More than three-quarters (79 percent) of the Fortune Global 100 companies are using at least one of the most popular social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and corporate blogs) to actively engage with stakeholders, according to a new study on the usage of social media published today by Burson-Marsteller, a leading global communications firm. This study is the first in Burson-Marsteller’s Evidenced-Based Communications research series, which will focus on providing data to support insights-driven communications programs.
The study found that 65 percent of the Fortune Global 100 had active accounts on Twitter, 54 percent had a Facebook fan page, 50 percent had a YouTube channel, and 33 percent had corporate blogs. Only 20 percent of the major international companies were utilizing all four platforms to engage with stakeholders. Companies based in the United States and Europe were more likely to use Twitter (U.S.: 72 percent, Europe: 71 percent) or Facebook (U.S.: 69 percent, Europe: 52 percent) than they were to have corporate blogs (U.S.: 34 percent, Europe: 25 percent), while companies from Asia-Pacific were more likely to utilize corporate blogs (50 percent) than other forms of social media (Twitter: 40 percent, Facebook: 40 percent).
„Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or popular local online communities – for many people, communicating on social media platforms has become an indispensable part of daily life” says Roman Geiser, COO Burson-Marsteller EMEA. Daniel Jörg, Practice Leader Crossmedia Burson-Marsteller Switzerland and EMEA Practice Leader Digital further points out: „The major global companies have spotted this development, and most now have a presence on social media platforms.”
The study also found that Fortune Global 100 companies make active use of their social media accounts. During the final week of the study, 82 percent had tweeted and 59 percent had posted content on their Facebook fan page, and in the prior month, 68 percent had posted a video on YouTube and 36 percent had posted an entry on a corporate blog.
There is also evidence that stakeholders are listening and engaging. In the study corporate Twitter accounts averaged 1,489 followers, while each Facebook Fan Page averaged 40,884 fans.
However, the SMI Study by Burson Marsteller Switzerland has also shown that not all companies with a social media presence exploit the potential of these platforms for dialogue. In international comparison, companies from the USA and the Asiatic-Pacific region more frequently hold genuine conversations on social media platforms than companies in Europe.
Companies using Twitter were following an average of 731 people each and 38 percent of companies were responding to people’s tweets. Thirty-two percent have also “re-tweeted” or reposted comments during the last week.
Other key findings include:
• On average, the Fortune Global 100 companies have 4.2 Twitter accounts, 2.1 Facebook fan pages, 1.6 YouTube channels and 4.2 corporate blogs.
• Companies with active accounts have 27 tweets per week, 3.6 Facebook posts per week, 10 new YouTube videos per month and 7 blog posts per month.
• Corporate YouTube channels have an average of 452 subscribers each and over 38,000 views per channel.
Contact:
Daniel Jörg,
Practice Leader Crossmedia Burson-Marsteller Switzerland - EMEA Practice Leader Digital
T +41 (0)31 356 73 00
daniel.joerg@bm.com
twitter.com/danieljoerg
For further information, go to: www.b-m.ch or http://crossmedia.b-m.ch.
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About this Study
Data was collected between November 2009 and January 2010 among the top 100 companies of the 2009 Fortune Global 500 companies. Sample size for countries/regions: U.S. = 29 companies, Europe = 48 companies, Asia-Pacific = 20 companies, Latin America = 3 companies. “Active” accounts have at least one post in the past 3 months. Data was collected by Burson-Marsteller’s global research team.
About Burson-Marsteller Switzerland
Burson-Marsteller Switzerland (www.b-m.ch) is one of the leading agencies for public relations and communications advisory services in Switzerland, with offices in Zurich, Berne and Geneva. Around 60 employees provide services in the fields of Corporate Communications, Crossmedia, Energy & Environment, Healthcare & Science Communications and Public Affairs.
About Burson-Marsteller International
Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising and web-related services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 72 wholly-owned offices and 65 affiliate offices, together operating in 90 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP plc (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.
