The Business Impact of Twitter
	Posted by Guest Blogger at Oct 25, 2011 07:00 AM CDT Categories: NPtech, Research, Social Media

The following post is an excerpt from Constant Contact's "The Business Impact of Twitter: It’s Come a Long Way [New Data]" by Josh Mendelsohn, originally posted October 20, 2011. The findings listed here are from their recent research with Chadwick Martin Bailey regarding consumer interactions with Twitter.

The truth is that today’s consumers want interactive content from not just brands, but from the people behind the brands so they can be better in the know and help support the businesses and organizations they like. Good marketing, regardless of the channel, is about creating connections that result in sales and increased word of mouth, and this study shows that Twitter can be a huge asset in doing so.

Personally, I love Twitter (find me at @mendelj2). I follow the brands that I care most about and use it as a way to find and filter the information I need to do my job. But it is a big time commitment that needs to be seriously considered if you are doing it on behalf of your brand, and it needs to be done well if it is going to be done at all.

Here are 10 things you should know about how consumers use Twitter as you decide whether or not it is right for your business or organization:

1. 60% of brand followers are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after following it on Twitter
2. 50% of brand followers are more likely to buy from a brand after following it on Twitter
3. Consumers follow brands on Twitter for exclusivity, promotions, and to be “in the know” 
4. 50% of consumers on Twitter go online more than once an hour
5. Nearly half of consumers on Twitter have been tweeting less than one year
6. 79% of consumers on Twitter follow fewer than 10 brands
7. 75% of consumers have never “un-followed” a brand on Twitter
8. One-third of brand followers are interacting with brands more this year than last
9. Consumers on Twitter read posts from brands much more than they tweet about brands
10. Consumers on Twitter under age 35 are more likely to follow brands than older users

Want to learn more? Read the full report here: http://ow.ly/72Ver.