Brands on Twitter: 76% of Accounts Are Infrequent Users

Many Apply Traditional Marketing to Emerging Channel

Posted by Chris Perry on 11.17.09 @ 08:35 AM


Chris Perry

I often have a love-hate thing going with Twitter.

On one-hand it's a platform for the trivial. A time-suck. A platform to distract and, at the same time, isolate ourselves from subjects out of sync with our own worldview. On the other, it's a proven platform that carries incredible power to reshape how we learn, interact and share with communities online. For marketers and media-makers, it's hard to think of a recent innovation that's altered our landscape more than the simple 140 character platform. And for that I'm skewing to the love side of the spectrum.

Where do companies fit on the spectrum? Is it on the collective corporate radar? How is it being used? And in an age where advocacy carries the day, is it being used as a way to truly engage customers and other important stakeholders to the brand?

Our firm, Weber Shandwick, analyzed the Twitter phenomenon this fall, specifically into how Fortune 100 companies use it as a barometer to share with our clients.

The take-away: Most companies fail to realize Twitter's full potential as a market engagement platform. While 73% of Fortune 100 companies registered a total of 540 Twitter accounts, effectiveness based on level of activity, interaction and engagement were off the mark. Brand-squatted accounts, as reported last week in Ad Age, remains an issue for many companies. For those that are on board, many more are largely tepid accounts with limited activity and interactivity (76% of accounts tweet infrequently). Even more telling is how companies apply currently traditional marketing practices to this new media channel, including:

Twitter as a newsfeed: 26%
Twitter as brand-builder: 24%
Twitter as direct marketer/sales channel: 16%
Twitter as thought-leadership channel: 11%
Twitter as customer-service channel: 9%

Clearly there is much work to be done to cultivate an engaging brand presence through Twitter. It starts with a clear, companywide-strategy for using the medium to its full advantage, then following through with consistent and meaningful presence that engages relevant communities of interest.

The findings and methodology on our site, along with tips for using the platform to its full advantage.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As exec VP of digital strategy and operations at Weber Shandwick, Chris Perry leads the firm's digital practice and works closely with agency team members and clients to understand the changing media landscape and apply new methods that take advantage of these changes in measurable ways for clients including HP, Verizon, American Airlines, Standup2Cancer and CKE Restaurants. You can follow him on Twitter.

14 Comments

By Karina-Tweedell | Marion, IN November 17, 2009 09:32:46 am:

I'm surprised to see that only 9% would be using Twitter as a customer service channel. It seems that not enough businesses are utilizing Twitter for listening and instead concentrate too much on spreading their message.

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By jelefant | Indianapolis, IN November 17, 2009 09:55:22 am:

Twitter isn't built for Brands, it's built for people. I did a loose study of brand twitter accounts vs accounts of individuals who work at those brands. As example, the account for Suzy Tonini, the Manager, Member Firm Global Online Communications for Deloitte, has 3,373 followers. The Deloitte GLOBAL account has 2,615. People want to listen to and communicate with other people. Brands should empower their people, through a company social media policy, to use these new channels.

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By john120 | Marlborough, MA November 17, 2009 10:34:57 am:

I have to say, I've been playing on twitter for almost two years now, and it's sad to see the decline in quality that's going on. So many brands are using it poorly. Twitter is NOT a newsfeed, and I'll be honest; I immediately unfollow most brands who only use it as such. Twitter is supposed to be a place for people to engage with each other. Any company that doesn't respond to responses on twitter (and it's a lot) should stop using it completely.

How much longer to people think twitter will last as a powerhouse media? I know a lot of people, myself included, are considering leaving it.

Jean

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By TomLimongello | New York, NY November 17, 2009 10:39:59 am:

I totally agree with @jelefant, and it is built for people. Brands that can effectively leverage spokespeople and sports brands can use Twitter lists to make the people on twitter speak for their brand, those that do not have people can use events, which although are not a constant presence can be useful for a particular brand campaign.

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By mondogrande | Ft Lauderdale, FL November 17, 2009 10:49:54 am:

Sometimes a name says it all. Twitter, as in twitter away your time, is just another well known vehicle that forces industries to have a presence there just because its Twitter.

Apple managed to reinvent itself by creating innovative products not because of its social media marketing skills.

http://proudtoliveinamerica.com

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By jelefant | Indianapolis, IN November 17, 2009 10:52:49 am:

In response to Jean above and to compound on what TomLimongello suggests...use the term "Twitter" like you would "phone." Who at your brand would be best on the phones speaking with clients? Also, the phone is a tool not an arena. Twitter is a tool, not an arena (as it seems to be now, but that's a trend). You could quit the phone, but would you? Use Twitter to match your goals.

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By jdixon01 | PHOENIX, AZ November 17, 2009 11:32:02 am:

Well said jelefant - those who see Twitter and Facebook as distractions need to adjust their perspective. These tools have become rich communication channels. The classic tweets about what you had for lunch (a safe way to dip a toe in the social waters) are giving way to meaningful, long tail discussions.

If we don't encourage our people (employees) to engage in social media now (as people first, company representatives second), they won't have the opportunity to learn the new rules of online social etiquette while the communities are forgiving. The same social missteps that are forgiven today, will be treated more harshly tomorrow. With that said, companies have a duty to provide guidance to their employees via a well-crafted, enabling social media policy. A living document, best kept on the corporate intranet, that encourages participation while cautioning activity that can cause damage to both the individual and the brand.

Oh, and to take the phone concept one step further, when your employees engage a prospect/customer within social media - it's not just 1:1, it is 1:1 on a stage in front of possibly hundreds or thousands of potential customers. What an opportunity!!!

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By jdixon01 | PHOENIX, AZ November 17, 2009 11:39:33 am:

BTW, why doesn't AdAge link the username of a comment author to their website? If you allow us to place a link in the text:

http://www.aidantaylor.com

Why not auto-link our usernames? While we should comment to provide depth and breadth to a discussion, it would be nice to receive traffic from those that are inspired to learn more about us and our companies.

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By vinge99 | Eden Prairie, MN November 17, 2009 12:39:17 pm:

So Brands are infrequent users of Twitter, so are the "users." As I pointed out on my blog in July, Nielsen Online found that "more than 60 percent of U.S. Twitter users fail to return the following month"

Is Twitter just a fad that's ready to burn out, read more at http://www.emarketingdashboard.com/2009/07/is-twitter-destined-to-go-way-of-other.html

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By kstabs88 | prairie village, KS November 17, 2009 02:08:25 pm:

I share the same love-hate relationship with twitter as Chris. I've recently gotten involved in twitter and am utilizing it for my own personal networking and updates. I believe social media, and especially twitter, is a creative outlet that businesses should take advantage of the opportunities it has to offer. I'm shocked to see that of the top Fortune companies, 26% are using twitter as a news feed. I agree with other comments that twitter is not a news feed, but more people oriented. Twitter is made for people, and the message companies send out over social media should be to promote their product or service to people. Therefore, companies should strive to target certain relevant communities of people. They can achieve direct marketing, and build their brand by basing communication on people. Companies fail to realize the full potential twitter has. Companies should focus on social media to build customer relationships, by listening to feedback and observing behavior. 76% of companies utilize twitter infrequently, this can really hurt a brand or service image. It may lead consumers to believe your company is incompetent. Social media continues to grow, and companies should strive to grow at the same pace. Twitter allows companies to get right to the point, with just 140 words, it's a great way to promote the desired brand image.

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By expressionsbusinessbaskets | azusa, CA November 17, 2009 05:05:45 pm:

I love your opening line. I feel the same way.

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By gunther | Los Angeles, CA November 17, 2009 11:33:57 pm:

Nice piece, Chris, I'm glad we follow each other ;)

To a few of the points here, I think brands tend to forget or simply overlook the fact that Twitter is indeed a people tool, or a conversation engine. When you also consider that 10% of Twitterers produce 90% of the tweets, the quality issue becomes more and more apparent as adoption and attrition are inversely proportional.

Basically, use of the platform is a balancing act, one that requires patience, frequency, and most important, thoughtfulness and transparency.

Any brand entering the "Twittersphere" or social networks in general should consider the "20%" or "One Fifth Rule" of engagement:

- Casual conversation (putting a human face on a brand)
- Customer service & product feedback
- Lifestyle affinities & added informational value
- PR & marketing
- Promotions & redemption

Keep in mind that direct marketing, promotions and redemption are risky and programs such as the one Dell has run are pretty much anomalies, so real, 1-1 dialogues are key.

Hopefully, Twitter will continue to work on improving its feature sets so that things like spam and search can bring out more of the kinds of conversations each of us want, and, so that brands can continue to connect with the people that are willing to sell their goods and services for them.

Gunther Sonnenfeld
@goonth

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By cperry248 | Birmingham, MI November 18, 2009 01:38:54 am:

Appreciate the comments and kind word or two. Fully agree it's a personal medium. And that said, there's plenty of opportunity to create more engaging interactions with people behind products and services we buy. There are examples, both human and branded if you will, where it works.

CP

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By alexboy | LA, LA November 18, 2009 04:16:38 am:

Anyway I do like Twitter. I found a great game for my iphone - Road Slot

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