Social media retailer research shows gains for Ann Summers, Tesco and Topshop
Posted by
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, according to the latest Social Media Benchmark results from eDigitalResearch.
Ann Summers have managed to add over 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.
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”.
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”.
Fashion retailer Topshop has regained the top spot of both the Facebook and Twitter league tables after losing the number one Twitter spot to ASOS last time round. Tophsop are also now the first retailer in the study to break through the 2 million Facebook ‘likes’ barrier.
For the first time, eDigitalResearch also measured the presence of retailers on new and emerging social media platforms, including Google+. Results show that ASOS currently dominate the site, with twice as many followers as second placed Topman, 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.
eDigitalResearch also measured the engagement levels of the very best performing retailers, looking at the average number of posts per day, as well as page features and content. The results show that a lot of brands are neglecting their social media accounts over weekend periods, often when social networking activity is at its highest. To improve strategies and develop their following, retailers need to ensure that they are researching their social media audience and understand when is best to target certain types of content.
