Smaller companies demonstrate more social networking nous

by Dan Leahul, Brand Republic 26-May-09, 11:35

LONDON - Top FTSE100 executives are failing to grasp social networking services such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, while Sunday Times Fast Track 100 firms such as On Holiday Group are leading the way as early adopters, according to new research.

According to digital agency Bigmouthmedia, 25% of FTSE100 senior executives use social networking to promote their business, compared to 85% of the executives recently named in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.

LinkedIn emerged as the senior executives networking tool of choice. Half of those surveyed use the service, while 80% of FTSE100 managers who engage in social networking use it as their only application.

Lyndsay Menzies, Bigmouthmedia's chief operations officer, said: "Social networking may have become one of the most talked about trends in the online world, but until now there has been little hard evidence showing to what extent the business community has embraced these tools.

"Our research shows that while many leading executives are now deriving measurable benefits from this rapidly developing channel, some of the UK's most prominent organisations have failed to get to grips with this important trend."

The survey named Carnival Cruises' senior director John Heald and On Holiday Group chief executive Steve Endacott as the two business leaders currently trading in Britain who have most readily adopted social networking.

Heald emerged as the clear winner in the FTSE100 category after it was found he uses a combination of Facebook and blogging to reach out to customers.

On Holiday Group chief executive and founder Steve Endacott was found to be the most active social networker in the Fast Track category.

The former MyTravel chief employs a range of tools including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Plaxo and Xing to promote his travel company.

Endacott said: "I believe that these are tools every business has to get to grips with.

"There's a generation of consumers growing up with social media, and unless you truly understand the culture there's a real danger of losing touch with them."

Comments

Emma Digerud-Waring - 26/05/2009

Working on a retail exhibition largely targeting smaller independent retailers I would say this is definitely true. This audinece cottoned on to the benefits of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc a long time ago and continue to do so. Bigger companies are missing out massively by not utilising these places. People want to go and find what they are looking for online and want to do so immediately, they don't want to wait to receive something in the post or even in their inboxes. Twitter in particular allows them to do this very effectively. It also enables people to guide users to particular information. We see many Twitter users clicking straight to news stories and therefore our website where it's up to us \(or me!) to keep them there for as long as possible! Easier said than done!