Trinity Mirror says: The report, by social brand agency Headstream, set out to “identify and acknowledge brands leading the way in social”.
It created bespoke scores by calculating the interactions between brands and individuals on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube over a six week period during March and April 2013.
Media and publishing brands were compared to brands from other industries, including retail, travel and entertainment.
In the ranking of overall best brands on social media only two media and publishing brands appeared in the Top 50: Heart and the Liverpool Echo.
The Liverpool Echo was ranked the 49th best brand on social media overall, and was the only print publication to feature on the list.
In the media and publishing category five of Trinity Mirror’s titles, including The Daily Mirror and WalesOnline, appeared in the top 50 list.
The Liverpool Echo ranked at number 2; WalesOnline at number 9; The Daily Mirror at number 12; The Newcastle Evening Chronicle at number 16; and The Daily Post, North Wales at number 38.
“This is a fantastic achievement”, said Trinity Mirror’s Regional Social Media and Engagement Editor Heather Hughes.
“Trinity Mirror was the only publisher to have regional titles feature in the list and for these accolades to be given just weeks after our success at the Regional Press Awards shows just how strong our digital brands are across the country, and across multiple platforms.”
Mirror.co.uk publisher Steve Anglesey added: “On the back of our AOP awards nomination in the social media category for the hilarious and informative @MirrorFootball Twitter account, this demonstrates how we are using social to build a loyal and engaged group of users.”
Neil Macdonald, the head of web and data for the Liverpool Echo explains why he thinks they ranked so well: "The Liverpool Echo places great importance on its relationship with its readers, so we have always put a lot of effort and attention into how we manage the Echo's different social media channels.
"Put simply, we make sure people can see and feel there are real people behind the accounts by engaging with our followers as much as we can, answering their questions and having a laugh with them when appropriate. We also work hard to ensure our updates are not just promoting stories on our site, by seeking their views on topics of the day or sharing a picture from our archive for instance.
"It can't just be one way communication and I think people like that about what we do."
