APCO Partners With The Huffington Post On Innovative Study of Social Media Success
Research Identifies Key Factors for Interactive Effectiveness; Re-Ranks Fortune’s 40 Most-Admired Companies in Order of Social Media Achievement
Washington, D.C. (November 11, 2010) – APCO Worldwide and The Huffington Post have launched a first-of-its-kind study of social media effectiveness, identifying six key factors that drive successful online campaigns, Evan Kraus, senior vice president and director of APCO Online®, announced today. The study also re-ranks Fortune's 40 most admired companies according to their social media presence.
"Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information, and the volume of users, channels and activity continues to increase," said Kraus. "But for all its popularity, social media has not been the subject of rigorous analysis. This groundbreaking research marks the first application of a formal methodological approach to social media success. We now have concrete data on the tactics, channels and practices that companies should leverage when building their social media investment strategies."
"By analyzing the opinions of those who exercise the greatest influence and reach online, this study truly reflects the best ways to attain social media success," said Eric Hippeau, CEO of The Huffington Post. "What we learned has allowed us to generate precise and actionable recommendations for companies interested in looking at their social media efforts through a more strategic lens."
APCO and The Huffington Post's Social EQ study relied on the findings of a quantitative survey of 4,000 social media informants, a population of active online influencers. The analysis revealed six discrete factors that drive online effectiveness: dialogue, customer service, quality of content, platform diversity, engagement/interaction and optimization.
"What was most interesting to us was how significantly dialogue and customer service impacted social media success," said Bryan Dumont, president of APCO Insight®, the company's opinion-research group and the team responsible for developing the model. "In addition to building a strong social media presence with relevant and authentic content, efforts to be responsive and visible are significant drivers of overall importance and online impact."
APCO Insight then re-indexed Fortune's 40 most admired companies against the six factors of social media success identified by social media informants.
"We believe that these findings are an important tool in helping companies better understand, protect and increase their social media equity by making smart investments of time and resources in the areas that truly make a difference to their social media success," said Kraus.
For more information about Social EQ and for detailed results of the study, please visit http://socialeq.apcoworldwide.com. Click here to view a video introduction from Evan Kraus.
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About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and nonprofit organizations; and seven of the top 10 companies on Fortune's Global 500. APCO Insight, our opinion research division, deploys a full suite of sophisticated qualitative and quantitative research methodologies geared toward producing actionable outcomes for our clients. APCO Online, our online communication and social media division, creates sophisticated, results-oriented online campaigns to shape the real-world environment in which our clients operate, improving their bottom line and enhancing their reputation. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.
About The Huffington Post
A leading social news and opinion site, The Huffington Post is a top destination for news, blogs and original content, attracting more than 23 million unique visitors per month. For more information, please visit http://huffingtonpost.com.
Contact:
Contact:
Elizabeth Wolf
202.778.1470
ewolf@apcoworldwide.com