A Twitter Tutorial - Part 4: What’s next for the digital Macarena?

by Allyson Moehring, Integrated Strategist



Publicity and successes aside (claims Joel McHale, “it’s the digital Macarena”), Twitter still has some hurdles to overcome. For one, it was reported by David Martin of Nielson that 60% of Twitter users fail to use it the following month, leaving a 40% audience retention rate or percentage of users in any given month who use Twitter the following month. Granted, this number is up from the 30% retention rate that Twitter had the same time last year, but it is much lower than that of Facebook or MySpace and demonstrates that one of the largest hurdles, as we have reported that we continue to hear about, is education and awareness. New Twitter users, curious to see for themselves what the fuss is about, arrive on the site and still do not “get it.” Any other social networking tool gives you some pretty explicit prompts when you start an account – you get it. Twitter is less intuitive and one of their largest barriers at the moment is educating the general population on how to use the site and what makes it fun and useful.

For brands, it will be increasingly difficult to ignore the Twitterverse. Twitter can spread information like wildfire, forcing brands to monitor what is being said about them, even come up with ways to combat firestorms like Motrin was forced to do when they experienced a huge backlash from moms on Twitter regarding an ad campaign. A great way for brands to put their toe in the water is to monitor what, if anything, is being said about them in the space - do a Twitter search on your brand and find out what consumers are already saying. In terms of opening a Twitter account, similar to blogging, Twitter can be a great way to convey a brand’s personality and unlike blogging, it is a bit less time consuming. That said, every brand needs a strategy behind it and must understand its goals and the space and what your consumers do there, as well as offer value to consumers – are you entertaining them? Offering updates, information, exclusive news or deals? If you are not, just like brands who decided to jump on the Facebook, MySpace, blogosphere, or other bandwagon without a strategy, you can’t expect much; you may even turn consumers off. Check out Zappo’s as well as Southwest Airlines on Twitter as examples of companies getting it right – opening up a two-way dialogue with consumers, following their conversations to get inside their heads, offering value, and making your brand accessible and, in turn, generating a following.

Twitter certainly has a lot going for it. It allows celebrities, news and information sources and brands to essentially broadcast to a public of “followers” things that will help their image, drive traffic to their websites, and increase their exposure. Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows consumers to indulge in voyeurism in a much more anonymous and pressure-free way, interact with brands and personalities in a way that no other platform allows, and serve as a customized aggregator of media and information. With buzz usually comes awareness. I foresee more brands catching on and making it a part of their communication strategy and the Twitter retention rate increasing as more consumers receive peer endorsements and education from users who are sold on its appeal.

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