Twitter, a microblogging site, continues to grow in popularity and importance in both the consumer and corporate worlds. No longer just a platform for friends to stay connected, it has evolved into an important component of brand marketing. From May 2008 to May 2009, Twitter was the fastest growing Web brand, increasing 1,448 percent from 1.2 million visitors in to 18.2 million (Nielsen Wire, 2009). Twitter, where ordinary people and business can make tweets of 140 words or less that can be updated at any time, even from a mobile device, offers companies a new tool to promote deals and interact directly with their customers.
As people spend more time on social networks, forward-thinking retailers are following their lead. Savvy businesses on Twitter know that effective communications isn't about just pushing content to readers; they also converse with others and respond to their concerns. Such retailers are rewarded with customer loyalty and increased sales. Dell, for example, reported in June (2009) that it had sold more than $3 million in PCs and accessories via Twitter promotions since it began experimenting with the social media tool in 2007 (Tode, 2009).
An Abrams Research survey (2009) of more than 200 social media leaders found that Twitter was the social media they would recommend businesses pay for if it were not free. In fact, survey responders recommended Twitter over Facebook by more than two to one, 39.6 percent to 15.3 percent, saying “It’s the quickest way I’ve seen to spread information virally to a wide scope of people attached in a lot of random ways” (Schonfeld, 2009).
The increasing use of Twitter coincides with a recent report from Interpret, which shows that Twitter users are twice as likely to review or rate products online than members of other social networking Web sites by a ratio of 24 percent to 12 percent. Twitters users also are more likely to visit company profiles than Facebook users and click on advertisements or sponsorships (Tode, 2009). According to State of the Twittersphere (2009), about 10,000 people create profiles on Twitter every day. This is good news for retailers. Yet Deb Shops has yet to make its presence known on Twitter.
At least three of Deb’s competitors realize the potential Twitter offers them to disseminate relevant and timely information to a captive audience. The Gap, Old Navy and Target all have a presence on Twitter. The Gap has 17,514 followers, Old Navy with 12,377 and Target with 4,107 followers (Twitter.com, 2009). These retailers know that Twitter can help them create awareness for their brand, promote a product or educate consumers. Twitter also can be used to promote tie-ins with a business’ Web site and retail locations. On Black Friday, The Gap used Twitter to inform New York City residents and visitors where its “Gap Cheer” bus (filled with dancers and drummers) would be parked to give away sweaters and jeans (Rosenbloom and Cullotta, 2009).
While Deb has not joined Twitter, it hasn’t shunned all social media. It has established a Facebook page that it uses to promote sales and offer special discounts to fans. While a good start, the benefits of such sites can be increased when combined with other social networking sites, like Twitter.
Twitter remains a great medium with a huge, untapped potential that smart retailers include as a practical and strategic part of their marketing communications plan. Deb would be wise to follow in the footsteps of competitors like The Gap, which embrace Twitter and all it has to offer.
References:
HubSpot (2009 June). State of the Twittersphere. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/sotwitter09.pdf.
Nielsen Wire (2009, June 22). Twitter Grows 1,444% Over Last Year; Time on Site Up 175%. Nielsen.com. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/nielsen-news/twitter-grows-1444-over-last-year-time-on-site-up-175.
Rosenbloom, S. and Cullotta, K.A. (2009, November 28). Buying, Selling and Twittering All the Way. New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/technology/28twitter.html?_r=1&ref=business.
Schonfeld, E. (2009, February 17). Survey Of Insular Social Media Elite Says: Twitter Is Better Than Facebook for Businesses. TechCrunch Blog. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/17/survey-says-twitter-is-better-than-facebook-for-businesses.
Tode, C. (2009, October 12). More Retailers Turn to Twitter for Marketing This Holiday. DMNews. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://www.dmnews.com/more-retailers-turn-to-twitter-for-marketing-this-holiday/article/151894.
Twitter.com. Retrieved December 7, 2009 from http://twitter.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment