Who Are the Biggest Twitter Beneficiaries?

July 12, 2010 | Comments | Social Media Marketing Strategy, Twitter

The uses of Twitter are constantly debated. What should be tweeted on personal accounts? What should be the target for businesses using the platform? Should there be a uniform code of interaction to be followed? What is the real value of the site?

My question today focuses on the other side of the equation, and may actually provide an answer to the first question. I’d like to analyze which users receive the largest return for their time invested using Twitter. I’ll highlight some of the uses and gratifications below (pardon my use of communications classroom jargon).

Small Businesses: From the start-up online entrepreneurial project to the mom and pop shop on the corner, Twitter provides a powerful advertising medium that costs nothing more than time. If used correctly for long enough a duration, a small business can exist exclusively online through social media and a website. By providing valuable resources and information through Twitter, a small business can show just how well they can compete-or beat- a corporate competitor.

Big Business: With brand recognition likely already in place for many large corporations and their products, social media campaigns have the potential to pick up steam very quickly. When a brand like Pepsi launches an interactive marketing tool, like a call for fan submissions for a new logo, the odds that they receive high traffic to the site which they are re-directing their fans and followers to are extremely favorable. Giving millions of people who know your brand a reason to visit your website can certainly yield the desired ROI

The Superstar: The top 10 Twitter accounts in terms of followers are all celebrities. And yes, I’m including President Obama, ranked #5, in that category. Their accounts allow them to maintain or increase their fan base and interact with the average fan in a unique situation; one that doesn’t require a team of bodyguards, and is instantaneous and (most of the time) unfiltered. Put it this way: if Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) responds to me directly, I’d forget all of his terrible acting performances and annoying commercials and be a fan for life.

The un-invested user: I was leery of using this term to categorize the average user who does not fit any of the above groups because any active user of Twitter is likely deeply invested in the site. Whether it is the hours of time they spend scanning Tweets, the increased phone bills they incur to feed their addiction to the blue bird, or the effects of replacing their standard news sources with Twitter, everyone is contributing or receiving something from their Twitter relationships. It can be argued that this population is the best to be a part of, as they can get news from the world, tips on virtually any subject they wish, and a look into the lives of their favorite stars (maybe even a conversation with them, too) without having their own activity on the site scrutinized by social media gatekeepers. Essentially this group can gain everything the rest can, without much, if any, risk.

I suppose I’d choose small businesses in the race for highest per-Tweet received/sent value, but it is a debate open to the masses. What groups did I miss, and which do you think gains the most value from its Twitter use?

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