Skip to content


Why Twitter is the online marketing guru’s dream

There have been a few interesting behavioral studies on Twitter lately (see my post from June about identifying influencers to see some research).  The latest one from research agency Sysomos is a very interesting read.  It not only confirms the Harvard Research study that very few users are active, but if you read the statistics on Twitter use by “Social Media Marketers” (however they have defined that), it seems like Twitter’s main purpose is self promotion.

Self fulfilling prophecies: Social Media Marketers
differ significantly in Tweets, followers and followees

Social Media Marketers - Tweets per day

Another aspect Sysomos confirms are observations made by AdAge:  A large part of Twitter’s growth in recent months is due to a vast amount of media coverage.  According to AdAge, the free press they got in June alone was worth 48m.  This is all start-ups’ dream I’m sure, and seem to be just self re-inforcing the marketing industry’s fascination with Twitter.

I am probably being a bit harsh on Twitter, I just find it such a waste of time, and aside from being a tool for customer support and a way to communicate with extremely loyal consumers (who would have found ways to find info about your products anyway), I just don’t see Twitter as the end all and be all of marketing platforms that brands need to be on.  But it just seems like why certain marketers are such strong proponent of Twitter may not be because they feel it is so relevant for brands to engage with, rather it is because they have become inundated with their sudden status of “fame”.  Of course, I am about to publish this article on Twitter, so I should perhaps just be quiet… 🙂

Posted in Social Media Marketing.

Tagged with , , , .