Social media and the corporate world have a very complex relationship. If a company gets it right, it can boost brand awareness and revenue. However, if a company gets it wrong, the results can be disastrous.
ESM recently launched its quarterly series of 'Social Supermarkets' reports, in association with Emplifi. The reports show the importance of humour and playfulness when incorporating a social media strategy, particularly within the retail sector.
'Strong Social Media Presence A Must'
"A strong social media presence is a must in any modern supermarket's marketing mix," says Zarnaz Arlia, CMO at Emplifi. "It helps brands build relationships with their customers, it gives them a more relatable face, and it also helps boost sales. By communicating their brand voice and story via social media, supermarkets can build a loyal and engaged fan base."
In this article, ESM examines the supermarkets that are getting it right – as we reveal the most-followed supermarket brands on Twitter. The data was compiled by Emplifi, and is up to date to 10 January 2023.
The 10 Most-Followed Supermarket Brands On Twitter
1. Tesco
Tesco boasts 661k followers on Twitter as of January 2023. The UK market leader joined Twitter in March 2011. It currently follows 151k accounts.
Aldi Stores UK has 660.4k followers on Twitter as of January 2023. It joined Twitter almost two years before Tesco did, in April 2009. It is currently following 2,995 accounts.
3. Sainsburys
The second largest supermarket chain in the UK joined Twitter in October 2009. It has 599.8k followers as of January 2023. It currently follows 51.4k accounts.
4. Asda
Asda has 518.9k followers on Twitter as of January 2023. It was the first supermarket in this Top 10 to join Twitter, doing so in February 2009. It currently follows 1,145 accounts.
5. Lidl GB
The UK arm of discount retailer Lidl joined Twitter in July 2011. It has 396.1k followers as of January 2023. It currently follows 66 accounts.
6. Morrisons
The fifth largest supermarket chain in the UK joined Twitter in December 2010. Morrisons has 351.4k followers as of January 2023. It follows 25.3k accounts.
Waitrose & Partners has 349.7k followers as of January 2023. It joined Twitter in June 2009 and follows 5,719 accounts.
Carrefour España has 259.8k followers on Twitter as of January 2023. It joined in April 2011 and currently follows 1,956 accounts.
9. Mercadona
Family-owned Spanish retailer Mercadona has 241.1k followers on Twitter as of January 2023. It follows 44 accounts.
10. B&M Stores
The British multinational variety store chain joined Twitter in April 2010, and has 211.7K followers. It is currently following 2,209 accounts.
Never Be Boring
A successful retail social media strategy is largely the same as for any business – supermarkets must balance being adventurous with being sensible. A social media strategy should aim to be unique without being controversial, and humorous without being offensive.
However, the golden rule for any supermarket on social media is that it should never be boring!
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
