Social media popularity among US B2B brands far outweighs that of the UK, according to a new report.

‘The B2B Social Media Report’, produced by social listening platform Brandwatch, examined leading B2B organisations in the US and UK across ten industry sectors, providing an overview of the growing prominence and varying applications of social media within the arena.

Amongst the sectors analysed, Brandwatch found over half (54%) of all B2B industry conversation is about ‘business software’, with IBM the most mentioned B2B brand in over 100 countries around the world.

The aerospace sector followed with 13.5% of all mentions, with medical and energy generating 8% each.

US vs UK

The analysis exposes how the maturity of social media differs in the UK and US, highlighting an imbalance between with the volume of mentions for brands on either side of the Atlantic.

US groups account for 73% of the conversation regarding B2B brands, although part of this stat was attributed to the size of the market in comparison to the UK.

With 2.4 million business profiles on record, the US also doubles the UK in average Twitter accounts owned by B2B brands. The average US company will boast a following of 82,411 through primary accounts – six times more than the UK, which lags behind with 11,634.

Widening gap

The B2B market is traditionally seen as less public facing with limited benefit of harvesting insights from social, with the volume and value of relevant social data questionable.

However, according to Brandwatch, the disparity between the two countries demonstrates increasing investment and value in the channel in the US:

“This investment into social from US brands not only provides them with a free channel for company awareness, but also leaves them better equipped to manage their brand and deal with inevitable crises.

“Customers, advocates and critics all expect a constant and holistic social connection. If UK brands want to compete with the US they will have to develop a stronger social presence, dedicated customer service accounts and a constantly evolving social strategy.”