What is Twitter? Most people still don't know, study finds
Twitter cloud. Credit: respres via Flickr
A new LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll found that advertisers believe much more highly in the importance of Twitter than the average consumer. What a shocker, right?
The more interesting tidbit buried within the report is that the majority of common folk surveyed still have little idea of what Twitter is. And here we thought the news media had completely exhausted coverage of the social network.
Of the 2,025 U.S. adults surveyed, 69% said they didn't know enough about Twitter to comment on the service.
Compare that to just 17% of advertisers who admitted to not knowing much about the website -- a group whose colleagues would, if they found out about said confession, probably take them out back "Old Yeller" style.
The minority of consumers who actually knew about Twitter were split on its effectiveness. Some said the short-messaging service would grow, and an equal number of respondents said it was just for kids. The remaining 8% are apparently too cool for the tweets, saying that Twitter is old news and that it's time to find the next big thing.
Twitter acknowledged that its homepage doesn't do much to help newcomers decipher the point of the website. The company plans to unveil a revamped landing page this week for visitors who don't have accounts or aren't logged in.
“You can try it out without having to sign up, so you can get an idea of what Twitter is before you use it,” Twitter co-founder Biz Stone told AllThingsD last week. “We need to do a better job of explaining ourselves to people who hear about us and then have no idea what do to.”
-- Mark Milian
Follow my random thoughts on technology, the Internet and Web start-ups on Twitter @markmilian.
No surprises here: people in the media industry know more about media than people on the street. Big deal!
What I'd really like to know is, how many of those media types know how to use Twitter to build their brand? And how many of the people on the street know about LinkedIn?
Ian Hendry
CEO, WeCanDo.BIZ
Posted by: Ian Hendry | July 28, 2009 at 12:11 AM
This story spins the other way, too.
The data suggests that 31% of adults *do* know enough about Twitter to comment. It also says nothing about the portion of the 69% that are aware of twitter (but may not feel comfortable commenting about it) as opposed to those that have never heard of it.
Rhetorical questions for entrepreneurs: How happy would you be if you could get more than 30% of adults to know your business within the next two years? What if you could do it by word of mouth w/o spending a pile on marketing?
I'd be okay with that.
Posted by: F. Andy Seidl | July 28, 2009 at 10:51 AM
While Twitter is getting most of the media buzz (along with Facebook) there are a number of other important social media outlets. The companies that utilize social media as listening, conversation, and PR tools (not just an advertising tool), will find the best ROI (return on investments) for their social media initiatives. Twitter and other social media outlets must be integrated in an overall strategy to be most effective. The use of these tools must be part of the over-arching marketing plan.
Social Steve
www.socialsteve.wordpress.com
Posted by: Social Steve | July 29, 2009 at 05:42 AM
Whats twitter
Posted by: amy | August 19, 2009 at 07:44 PM
I'm "corn-fused" about this Twitter thing. How is it any different from a text message that u send & receive from your phone?
Posted by: ralph clark | September 15, 2009 at 04:42 AM