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03.18.10 Figuring Out Your Twitter Social Media Strategy  By Jay BaerAre you too Twitter-obsessed in your social media approach? Twitter's role as a conduit for the Zeitgeist is unrivaled, and it has almost single-handedly ushered in the era of real-time search, and social CRM. But, it's the online equivalent of HBO - important more because of who uses it and the media's infatuation with it, rather than the actual size and impact of its audience. Don't get me wrong. I advocate participating in Twitter, and I've certainly grown my own audience via that channel, and it should be part of almost every company or business professional's social media tool kit. (great post here on Social Media Examiner on how to methodically grow a Twitter following) But, Twitter alone does not constitute social media, and you'd think it does given all the disproportionate attention being paid to it at conferences and trade publications. I presented a half-day workshop at the Email Evolution Conference on social media strategy (slides here) recently with DJ Waldow and Mike Corak, and the significant majority of the questions from the audience were about Twitter. That got me thinking that perhaps social media types aren't fully recognizing Twitter's limitations? So, fully expecting each of you to tell me I'm wrong in the comments, here are 7 reasons why Twitter is not the Valhalla of social media: 1. Growth Is Slowing The true size of the Twitter audience is a bit tricky to pin down because 55% of its users do so via third party and mobile applications. But, new data from Compete.com shows a clear stagnation in Twitter's runaway growth.  According to these numbers, the audience using Twitter actually declined from August to December, 2009 (during the same period, Facebook went from 250 million to 350 million members). 2. Young People Don't Use It Today's marketing coordinator is tomorrow's CMO, and younger Americans don't embrace Twitter. A new Pew Research study shows only 8% of U.S. teens using Twitter, compared to 66% engaged in texting. Do young people not appreciate the many to many nature of Twitter, preferring the 1:1 paradigm of text messaging? Regardless of the reason, as the current teen population ages, it threatens Twitter's preeminence unless adoption rates soar. Continue reading this article. About the Author: Jay Baer is a tequila-loving, hype-free social media strategy consultant and coach. An online marketing pro since 1994, he's worked with more than 700 companies, and 25 of the Fortune 1000. He's one of the world's most popular social media bloggers, creator of the 8-step Social Media Strategic Planning Process, and the Twitter 20 series of live Twitter interviews. He spreads his "think tools last, not first" message around the country like a digital dandelion, speaking to conferences, small groups, or passers-by. Check out his blog at Convince&Convert. |
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