By Joan Stewart
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but a new study shows that 4 percent of the posts on Twitter include recommendations or complaints about a product.
The study, done by TextWise, analyzed the content of 8.9 million tweets posted by 2.6 million unique users. An analysis of 1,000 tweets it studied found:
- 30 percent of tweets relate to a user’s “status” (what they’re currently doing or where they are)
- 27 percent were private conversation
- 10 percent contained links to articles.
- 4 percent of tweets analyzed included product recommendations or complaints.
Yesterday, for example, I tweeted about the iPhone class I attended that morning.
But I failed to mention where I took the class. Two of my followers saw the tweet and asked where it was held. At my local Apple store, I said. I recommended they visit Apple’s website for a list of classes in their neighborhood. Two others responded to the tweet above and complimented Apple for its classes or its helpful employees, sharing that info with their thousands of other followers.
That should convince you that if you aren’t on Twitter, you should be, for these reasons:
- You need to know who is tweeting about your brand. That’s easy to find out by checking your “mentions” each day. You can find them on your Home page. On the right side of the screen, just above “Direct Messages,” you’ll find your Twitter name. Click on that and you can see a list of everyone who included your Twitter name in their tweets.
- You can position yourself as an expert in your field by recommending, and complaining, about products and services in your niche. Always explain why.
- If you offer a valuable tip that ties into a product or service you sell, and then provide a link to a sales page, there’s a good chance at least one person will retweet it. Tying helpful information to a link is one of the best ways to promote on Twitter without annoying people, and it’s one of the many ways to avoid missed opportunities on Facebook.
How often do you recommend products and services, or complain about them, on Twitter and other social media sites?
How often do you follow the recommendations you see on the social media sites?
And what kinds of success stories can you share here about how you’ve seen a great return on investment because others have retweeted something you’ve shared?
Join the conversation, and comment below.