360DigitalInfluence

According to a recent eMarketer report, Twitter - so far - isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for the marketing industry. Only 8% of those in the advertising world feel that Twitter is effective for marketing to their audiences - partially because of the lack of knowledge and awareness that the general consumer has around Twitter. Research from LinkedIn showed that while over 80% of advertisers knew Twitter, only 30% of consumers on the Web were familiar with the micro-blogging tool.

50% of consumers said Twitter was somewhat to very effective for marketing and promotion (while 58% of advertisers consider Twitter to be at least somewhat effective). eMarketer’s take is this:

“While marketers, and advertisers, media [and celebrities]…have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, the average US consumer has not. And without broader consumer acceptance - not to mention awareness- it can’t be considered an effective marketing tool.”

So how can we make the best use of Twitter in our marketing strategies?

First of all, it’s important to note, that like any other social media tool - Twitter should almost ALWAYS be incorporated into a larger promotion/communication/marketing strategy. Based on the research above, we know that most likely, Twitter communications will only reach a part of your audience, not all - so integrating Twitter into larger campaigns is key. The other key component is making sure you are catering to the needs of your Twitter audience. A brand can be on Twitter, and so can it’s key audience, but if the brand is not in tuned to what the audience wants or needs - then the marketing strategy won’t be effective .

Most likely this is common sense for those of you reading, but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate these facts - and support them with a few new examples of great ways to integrate Twitter (and social media) into a marketing campaign.

Best Buy’s Twelp Force

Taking ComcastCares to a new level, Best Buy created a team of technology experts to be on hand around the clock - ready to answer customer’s (and potential customer’s) questions. The key point to call out here is that this service is not only being promoted on Twitter through the Twelp Force team members and their engagements with others, but also through traditional broadcast media. Best Buy has created commercials specifically to market this service - and build that consumer awareness - one of the key pieces missing according to the eMarketer report.

Have the TV spots helped to increase engagements? Launched in July ‘09, @TwelpForce has gained over 9,000 followers in the last month. And @replies to TwelpForce are exceeding 100 Tweets/day.

Check out TechCrunch’s article last month for more on the campaign.

Ashton Kutcher

Not only is he the love of my life (don’t tell my husband…) but he is also extremely smart when it comes to using social media. His most recent case in point: Spread. An indy movie with no marketing budget - Ashton has taken it upon himself to build awareness and spread word of mouth (no pun intended, I think…) about the new movie through his social media outlets. Creating a new YouTube channel, Ashton posted a video telling the back story of Spread and how his fans can help get the word out on the Web.

The thing that works here - is that Ashton knows he’s got his target audience on Twitter - over 3,000,000 to be exact. His fans want to know what he’s doing and have a chance to connect with them, and by asking for their help in promoting Spread, Ashton has allowed his fans to feel like they can make a difference and be a part of Ashton’s life. And Ashton’s making a point to show his appreciation personally, through Twitter, to all those who are helping out - a must-do in Twitter Best Practices.

As a fan of Ashton Kutcher - I’ve got to end on this note - go see Spread, the movie, in select theatres near you!