How Big is Twitter (Really) And Should You Use Twitter Pt.2

Continuing from the first post about “How Big is Twitter, Really.” which is a question we deal with a lot when consulting clients on social media marketing.

Should You Use Twitter? (Marketers)

The second part of that question a client may ask when deciding if they should spend money on social media marketing is if and how they should use Twitter. While we believe Twitter’s active accounts (and thus number of people your marketing campaign may reach) is less than their quoted 175 Million, which, no matter what, is less than Facebook’s 600 Million, Twitter is still a major media outlet these days.

The research and analysis from the blog “Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics” on their article “Is Twitter more effective for Brands than Facebook?” is very well done. We’d recommend you just read that instead of rehashing their analysis and conclusions here. It is based on this awesome infographic comparing Twitter vs. Facebook usage (source: DigitalSurgeons):

 

Should You Use Twitter? (Consumers and the rest of y’all)

For the rest of you who aren’t trying to sell something, a great way to start with Twitter is using twitter as a hybrid replacement of radio and forums/public chat rooms. As I said in Part I of How Big is Twitter, Really?, many of the greatest value twitter users to follow are information sources. Whether they’re celebrities, news, gossip, niche updates such as fashion or cars, or simply experts in certain fields, twitter is used by these people as a direct outlet for letting you know what’s happening. Of course, replies, Direct Messages (DM) and #hashtags on twitter turns twitter into the biggest public forum or chatroom. You can have public discussions whether if it’s with your circle of colleagues or with an expert who has the time to respond to you. This is why twitter is such a great communication tool for financial professionals and independent traders: because information and communication are essentially free flowing. This is also how we first got involved with twitter and got to become close friends with some top professionals in the finance community. However, as the infographic above shows, twitter and facebook are used differently. For consumers and individuals, know that facebook is still much more private compared to twitter so you should understand what you share on twitter could be seen by the whole wide world.