Customer Experience

By Nick Johnson - September 17th, 2013

The current state of Twitter, the rise and rise of Google+ and which brand is leading the pack on Facebook.

Google+ more popular than ever

Google+ has always been considered the poor cousin of the other big three social media networks. However, it has been slowly and quietly building its following. New research from GlobalWebIndex indicates that this network is now the second most used across the planet. With over 300 million active users, over half of these are accessing their accounts using mobile apps of which Google has the lion’s share with YouTube, Google Maps and Google+ being the most popular.

GlobalWebIndex commented: “Google+, who despite being branded a failure or ghost town by large portions of the media, grew in terms of active usage by 27% to 343m users to become the number two social platform. Interestingly for Google, YouTube (not previously tracked by us as a social platform) comes in at number three, demonstrating the immense opportunity of linking Google’s services through the G+ social layer. This is also a key indication of why Google+ integrated with the Google product set is so key to the future of search and the Internet.”

With the leverage that Google itself has with organic search, and a clear advantage to brands that have a presence on Google+, it’s time to look again at this network. Corporations that have shunned it in favour of Facebook or Twitter, need to start to build Google+ into their social media strategy, as this network could become the leader of the pack in a very short time.

The state of Twitter

As one of the Trinity of social media networks all corporations should be actively engaging with, Twitter has become an excellent channel to reach new and existing customers. A new infographic from Dashburst reinforces the power that twitter wealds in today’s omnichannel retail spaces. Users of Twitter now spend 170 minutes on average on the site each month, with 80% of those users accessing Twitter on mobile devices. And it seems that corporations are understanding how multiple Twitter accounts can be used effectively, as over 60% of brands now have more than one account on the network.

The rise of co-buying

The DIY store Homebase is using social media as a mechanism to promote co-buying across its stores. Using the co-buying service buyapowa, customers can team up to gain bulk ordering discounts of up to 50%. The service can bring together 20 to 200 people who are interested in an item to gain the discount on offer.

Gideon Lask, founder and CEO of Buyapowa said: "Co-buying is the perfect way to get social audiences shopping. People love systems with a bit of fun to them: a game, a competition, a countdown. We love taking on the system, getting something for nothing and gaining social kudos. These are the human truths that already drive social media. Co-buying taps into these social drivers."

Homebase managing director Paul Loft added: "We're offering customers a new way to shop with us with this innovative approach, as well as showcasing the range and quality of products we offer. Co-buying puts customers at the heart of the shopping experience, and our teams will be watching the products they choose to help inform buying decisions in the future."

Earlier this year Tesco also teamed up with the co-buying service to sell its wine range. For brands, using social media to promote these kinds of offers is ideal, as they are able to gather together customers who already have an interest in the item for sale. This level of engagement is often difficult across the retail landscape. Co-buying and social media are clearly a match made in heaven.

Virgin Media is the most socially engaging brand

New research from Socialbakers has concluded that Virgin Media leads the pack when it comes to engagement across Facebook. The brand has a response time of just over three hours, which is astonishing considering the size of the organisation. The telecoms theme continued with EE taking second place, with Sky taking the bronze medal.

What these figures clearly indicate is that brands now understand the power of fast and efficient response times across their presence on Facebook. Social media has put a foot on the accelerator when it comes to engagement, with consumers now impatient to receive a response to their queries. Virgin Media has invested resources to ensure they are connecting with their customers efficiently, which will result in positive sentiment and a commercial benefit for the organisation.

Until next time….

The Useful Social Media team.