Way back in June 2010 we carried out an analysis of how the top 15 construction companies in the UK were using social media to connect with their audience online, we then carried out the same analysis in November 2011. 3 years on, social media is now the main hub for discussion and interaction, the uptake of companies using social networking has grown enormously so how are the top 15 Construction Companies using social media in 2013!? I have used the same Construction Index as previously, that publishes an annual list, ranking UK construction companies according to turnover so again I have picked the top 15 construction companies of 2013 for my analysis.
The first notable change over the past three years is that the majority of these multi-million companies have jumped onto the social media wagon and are now using the top 3 platforms out there, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. All but one of the top 15 Construction Companies have a presence on Twitter and are regularly tweeting about Company and Industry News. Despite this, only half of these companies seem to be interacting with their followers, Why is this important? Social media channels can be used as a conversational tool to connect with members of the supply chain and your target audience, conducting research or just interacting with other people within the construction industry and having interesting discussions.
You only have to look at Balfour Beatty’s twitter following to know they are clearly doing a good job. With nearly 17,000 followers Balfour Beatty use their Twitter page to not only shout about recent projects and winning tenders but to also interact with their followers by answering questions and responding to any issues that have been raised. It is not only Twitter that Balfour Beatty have a big presence on, both their LinkedIn group and Facebook group have a massive following, making Balfour Beatty not only top of the Construction Companies but top of the Social Media table…see the link!
When compared to the previous 2011 analysis, only 3 of the top 15 companies even had a twitter profile let alone used this tool to interact with their followers. This shows………