Twitter at Eight Years Old: Jury Still Out on this Brand

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By USDR

Despite a successful IPO, brands using Twitter to boost marketing efforts are still uncertain as to Twitter’s true value. According to a recent survey conducted by Social Media Marketing University (www.smmu.com), 45.1% of brands reported that ‘measuring ROI and results’ is their greatest challenge when using the platform for marketing, followed by ‘building an audience’ (42.1 percent) and ‘engagement’ (36.8 percent).

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A stark contrast, more than 64.9 percent of brands agree that Twitter is an effective marketing tool. 30.6 percent remain undecided.

“Social media has become a significant play in the marketing world, so much so that brands are almost forced to leverage it, even if they are unsure of its value,” said John Souza, founder of Social Media Marketing University. “The challenge for marketers will be to solidify best practices to measure ROI on all social media platforms as they face increased pressure from the C-Suite. Additionally, as Twitter banks on the success of its paid services, it will be critical for the platform to provide resources and support to help brands navigate this challenge.”

SMMU’s Twitter survey was conducted March 1 – 12 leading up to the eighth anniversary of the platform’s launch on March 21 and the expiration of the lock up period on May 6. Other significant findings include:

96.2 percent of brands using Twitter as a marketing tool report having challenges using the platform to achieve specific goals
16.9 percent of brands are not aware that Twitter offers paid services and 34.7 percent are not currently interested in using Twitter’s paid services
Despite the popularity of video marketing, Vine remains underutilized with just 2.4 percent of brands using the feature on a regular basis
Most brands using Twitter as a marketing tool do so to increase brand awareness (79.4 percent)
Brands are using Twitter predominantly to create engagement during events (62.4 percent), build relationships with influencers (62.4 percent) and monitor brand mentions (58.4 percent.)

A complete look at the survey’s findings will be available at www.smmu.com/research on March 21.

“What we found overall is that there are a number of ways brands are incorporating Twitter into their overall marketing plans,” said Souza. “The challenge is that if marketers aren’t able to demonstrate in black and white how their efforts are paying off, it will be difficult to make the case that Twitter’s paid or unpaid services are worth the investment.”

To learn more about Social Media Marketing University, visit www.smmu.com. To schedule an interview with John Souza, contact Ty Mays at ty@smmu.com or (770) 256-8710.

About Social Media Marketing University

Launched in 2009, Social Media Marketing University (SMMU) is the largest online training firm specializing in social media and online marketing courses, and the first to offer a Master Social Media Strategist Certification. Additionally, the firm caters to more than 114,000 professionals, offering 13 comprehensive courses, weekly webinars and a Social Media Inner Circle program for ongoing professional development. SMMU has been recognized by The Mashable Awards, Forbes’ ‘America’s Most Promising Companies’ campaign and the International Business Awards. For more information, visit www.smmu.com.