CHICAGO, IL and PARIS--(Marketwire - Jan 24, 2012) - Wizness, the online network dedicated to sustainability professionals, today announced it has partnered with the Social Media Sustainability Index (SMI) to identify social media sustainability best practices and trends. The newly released report, "The SMI and Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index," http://socialmediainfluence.com/SMI-report/ found that the number of companies embracing social media for their sustainability initiatives more than doubled in 2011 and predicts further increases in 2012. Today, more than 250 brands are using social media as a key tool to communicate sustainability initiatives and bring audiences together for the greater good.
The goal of "The SMI and Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index" is to provide a social media roadmap for communicators throughout the sustainability and CSR community. It ranks the ways in which 100 of the world's largest companies communicate their CSR initiatives with social media, provides recommendations on managing reputation and highlights the top 10 companies on the list.
The Methodology
Researchers scanned leading sustainable company lists including: Corporate Knights Global 100, Newsweek's Green Rankings, The Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Interbrand's Best Global Green Brands. The resulting list was then reduced significantly to include only companies that publish a blog, Facebook page or subpage, Twitter account or YouTube channel dedicated to sustainability/CSR. The top 100 companies have social media channels that demonstrate a real commitment to sustainability communications in terms of resource and community building.
Key Findings
When compiling the metrics for the report, researchers made the following observations of the 100 companies that made the Index:
- Consumer Goods is the strongest reporting sector on the Index
- Oil & Gas is the weakest reporting sector on the Index
- 53 have dedicated sustainability blogs, 67 have Facebook pages and 70 have twitter feeds
- 36 have Sustainability/CR reports that they share through social media
- 40 North American companies are on the Index
- 54 European companies are on the Index
The Leaders
The stand out leaders in this year's Social Media Sustainability Index all fully embrace their new-found power to publish and provide useful, regular, transparent and creative sustainability content for their social media communities. They are:
1. GE
2. IBM
3. Ford
4. Pepsico
5. BBVA
6. Allianz
7. VF Corporation
8. Levis
9. Siemens
10. FedEX & Kimberly Clark
The report concludes that good social media communication shouldn't be judged by the number of fans on Facebook or followers on Twitter. Ultimately, successful community building and social media engagement is about attracting the right audience, not necessarily the biggest audience.
The report is available for download from SMI website at http://socialmediainfluence.com/SMI-report/
About Wizness
Wizness is an online network dedicated to Sustainability Professionals. Wizness features intuitive services that help professionals promote their expertise and share best practices and allows companies to engage in meaningful conversations with their stakeholders in private and public communities. Wizness enables industries to gather together to solve the most pressing compliance issues and shape the sustainability agenda. Wizness is powered by Enablon, the world's leading software provider of Sustainability Management solutions. For more information about Wizness: www.wizness.com
About SMI
SMI provides intelligence and analysis for business professionals looking to understand and navigate the ever-evolving world of online communication.
SMI runs one of the longest-established social media conferences, publishes industry reports and best practice white papers for social media practitioners as well as providing social media training and consultancy. For more information about SMI: socialmediainfluence.com
Contact Information:
Press Contacts:
Traci Massaro
TAM Public Relations
Tel: +1 312 784 7955