Britain's largest companies have an enormous presence on social media, as figures from a survey by
digital corporate communications agency The Group has revealed.


The survey, which investigated the social media profiles of the UK’s FTSE100 companies, is being reported by Recruiter and Computer Business Review sites.
"Our update to the FTSE100 Social Media Index reveals the large and growing circle of influence that FTSE100 companies have created online," said The Group managing director Cathal Smyth.

The figures are impressive - Unilever boasts 225,476 followers on LinkedIn, followed by HSBC with 158,625 and Royal Dutch Shell with 158,467.

"LinkedIn is clearly becoming an essential channel for businesses wishing to connect with important audiences and in particular it has become an important aspect of corporate recruitment," Smyth continued.

Here is the pick of the survey's findings:


  • Britain’s largest firms have 19m Facebook fans, 1.9m followers on LinkedIn and 1.7m on Twitter - with Twitter experiencing a 70% increase in six months
  • Only 12 such companies have Google+ profiles, compared to 86% who use LinkedIn.
  • The last six months have seen a total of 62.1m views of corporate videos of FTSE100 firms, a rise of 79% on the previous period.
  • The number of companies with blogs was 16, and the number of blog posts fell by 45% in the last six months amongst these firms.
    When asked about the downturn in blogging, Smyth bemoaned the change in attitude:

    “Companies are really missing an opportunity by neglecting this channel, as it offers the FTSE100 a real opportunity to engage with stakeholders, demonstrate transparency and lead on issues.”

    British activity and involvement in social media is encouraging, with it being such a new and growing platform that is still being figured, certainly from a business perspective. Whether by advertising or by the human element of micro-blogging, social media is giving unprecedented access for customer service and information that previously would have been unthinkable for consumers and companies.

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