Fortune 500’s Twitter, Facebook Efforts Soar; Blogging? Not So Much

While the use of Twitter and Facebook among Fortune 500 companies continues to increase significantly year-by-year, the deployment of public-facing blogs continues to slowly—albeit steadily—rise, according to a recent released study University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research study.
 
The annual study shows that 28% of the Fortune 500 had public-facing blogs in 2012, up from 23% in 2011. This includes two of the top five companies (Exxon and Wal-Mart), leaving Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Berkshire Hathaway as blogger laggards. Sector-wise, the telecommunications industry leads the charge, with 40% of Fortune 500 telecomm companies blogging.

Looking at other platforms, Twitter use among the F500 rose 11%, from 2011, with nearly three quarters (73%) tweeting out to the public via corporate accounts. All of the top 10 companies (Exxon, Wal-Mart, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, General Motors, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, Fannie Mae, Ford Motors and Hewlett-Packard) consistently post on their Twitter accounts.

Two-thirds (332 companies) of the Fortune 500 have corporate Facebook pages, up 8% from 2011. Eight of the top 10 companies are on Facebook; Exxon and Berkshire Hathaway are not.

As might be expected, consumer-facing industries led the Facebook pack, with 89% of the specialty retail industry and 86% of food consumer products having a public Facebook-page presence.

While the increased Facebook and Twitter presence among the Fortune 500 shocks no one, the slow growth of blogging is a bit of a surprise, considering that the platform is near perfect for thought leadership efforts.

Check out the chart below for the Fortune 500 companies with the most Facebook fans:

While Coca-Cola had the most Facebook fans of Fortune 500 companies (with more than 42 million) in 2012, Disney's 353% increase in fans is impressive to say the least.

 

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