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Study Shows Marketer-Consumer Disconnect on Twitter
28 Jul, 2010 By: Jackie JonesTwitter remains an important tool for listening to and learning more about consumers, but marketers still haven’t managed to effectively utilize the social-networking site enough to have meaningful interaction with customers, a study suggests.
Research from digital marketing firm 360i shows a significant difference on how marketers use Twitter vs. how a consumer does, creating a missed opportunity for many companies when they talk “at” people rather than “with” them, according to Sarah Hofstetter, 3601’s senior vice president of emerging media and brand strategy.
“When it’d done correctly, a lot of great original content gets created,” Hofstetter said, adding that the biggest mistake brands can make on Twitter is setting up an account, making their presence known and then not keeping up with the campaign.
More than 90 percent of Tweets come from consumers, while marketers only command 8 percent, according to the research. Only 12 percent of consumer Tweets mention a brand; 22 percent of those brands involve a social network, 17 percent involve entertainment and 17 percent technology. The top three brands mentioned in consumer Tweets are Twitter, Apple and Google, at 34 percent, 22 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
Many marketers use Twitter as a one-way promotional tool rather than a conversational one, which can damage a brand, 360i said. The six-month study showed that 43 percent of consumer Tweets are in replies to other people Tweeting, yet only 12 percent of marketers’ Tweets demonstrate active dialogue.
In addition to giving marketers a voice, Twitter should also be used as a tool to listen to consumers in an unfiltered environment, 360i said.
