Twitter is a rare opportunity for brands to speak directly to consumers, but not many advertisers are taking advantage of it, said digital agency 360i in a report released July 29.
“Most conversations on Twitter are very comfortable and conversational. So if brands can come in and offer value to consumers there, that’s phenomenal,” said Sarah Hofstetter, SVP of emerging media and brand strategy at 360i. “However, if they are just going to go out there and shout marketing messages, they are missing out on a great opportunity.”
In the report, 360i said that only 12% of all marketer Tweets demonstrate active dialogue with consumers — a strong indicator they are not tapping into Twitter’s potential to reach consumers in a unique way. Only 1% of consumer Tweets mention a brand or are part of a conversation with that brand.
Hofstetter pointed to Dell, a company that has used its Twitter account to facilitate millions of dollars in sales as an example of how to use the platform. The technology company uses Twitter to sell products at a discount.
“It’s not conversational marketing — that’s more limited-time offers. Depending on a company’s marketing objectives, Twitter can be used in different ways,” she said. “It’s not meant to only be a CRM tool, awareness tool or loyalty tool. It could be a direct response tool — this is as direct response as it gets. It’s real time.”
More than 1,800 Tweets were analyzed by 360i, and published between October 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.
