HOW TOP MARKETERS USE TWITTER A Q SIMPLY MEASURED STUDY

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Rudolf McCarthy
6 years ago
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1 HOW TOP MARKETERS USE TWITTER A Q3 214 SIMPLY MEASURED STUDY

2 Introduction When Twitter went public in November of 213, the network boasted 23 million monthly active users. A year later, that number has grown to 284 million. More than 5 million are sent each day. The social network is a hub for news, entertainment, and conversation, 14-characters at a time. Twitter s success is largely due to mobile usage, and a focus on connecting people worldwide. Over 8% of Twitter s active users are on mobile, and 77% of accounts are outside the U.S. In this study, we ll analyze the top companies in the world and how they use Twitter to build their brand, engage audiences, and interact with consumers. We ll identify the tactics that these brands are using, the results they re seeing, and lessons to be learned from them. 5 million sent per day 8% of users are on mobile 284 million monthly active users Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 2

3 Methodology This study looks at the Twitter activity of the Interbrand 214 Top 1 Brands. At the end of each year, Interbrand ranks the top 1 global brands based several factors, including market, brand, competitor, and financial data. This year, for the first time, Interbrand has also included Twitter data as part of their ranking process. The Interbrand 1 is an industry standard, and a standard for our Simply Measured network studies. We analyze this list because these companies are the best in the world at building and maintaining a brand, which is a prerequisite to a successful social media strategy. Statistics cited in this study are based on data from Q3 214 (7/1/14-9/3/14). All data was analyzed using Simply Measured s industry-leading social media analytics and reporting platform. This study also incorporates data for benchmarking from the Simply Measured study How Top Brand Marketers Use Twitter, Q THIS STUDY ENCOMPASSES: 136,834 by 98 brands 18,65,31 followers 23,33,738 mentions, and favorites 59,87 links 55,746 hashtags Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 3

4 BRAND ADOPTION Twitter Is a Brand Essential in 214 Twitter is a staple for modern marketing organizations. 98% of the top brands in the world have a Twitter account. Benchmarks for Brand Activity & Audience Size 7% of brands have over 1, followers, up from 58% in Q The percentage of brands that Tweet at least once a day has increased from 92% to 94% since Q % of brands sent at least three per day, up from 71% in Q Brands have been active on Twitter for longer than many other social networks. The 98% adoption rate has been consistent since we first analyzed brand usage in 212. The network has remained a primary focus for top brands, and has paid off with growing audiences. Share of Interbrand 1 Brands 1% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% Have an Account Active Account (Posted in Quarter) 1+ per Day 3+ per Day 1K+ Followers 5K+ Followers 1M+ Followers Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 4

5 ACTIVITY: POSTING FREQUENCY Brand Activity Is Being Standardized Brands active on the network have identified successful tactics and plan their strategies with those winning approaches in mind. 49% of brands tweeted 1-5 times per day, up from 45% in Q Fewer brands posted 6-25 times per day, but the number of brands posting 25+ times per day (this and Retweets) has increased. 77% of brands tweeted 1-6 times per day, and Retweets. Only 4% of brands tweeted 1+ times per day, and Retweets. This was down from 6% in Q Share of Interbrand 1 Brands An increasingly standardized posting cadence highlights a more sophisticated and measured approach to the network. Brands recognize what s working and have adjusted tactics accordingly. While the number of brands interacting with users individually has increased (highlighted by the 9% of brands tweeting 25+ times per day), brands are aware of over-saturation, and the number of companies posting more than 1 brand per day has decreased. Daily Tweet Frequency of Interbrand 1 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 49% 16% 13% 9% 4% 4% 3% Number of Sent per Day Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 5

6 Q4 213 Sent by Type Q3 214 Sent by Type ACTIVITY: TWEET HABITS Brands Interact With Users More The breakdown of Tweet types has changed in the last year as brands invest more in direct interaction with users. The Interbrand 1 posted 136,834 in Q3 214, up 22% over Q4 accounted for 7% of brand. This was up from 61% in Q % of brands replied to at least one Tweet per day. This was up from 46% in Q % of brands replied to users at least once during Q Brands are Tweeting more, and a greater percentage of these are coming in the form to individual users. This shows a greater effort by brands to engage and interact with their Twitter audience. Share of Interbrand 1 Brands Replies Regular Retweets Replies Regular Retweets 31% 24% 61% 7% 6% 8% Share of Brands That Reply to Followers 1% 9% 8% 6% 51% 4% 2% 8% % Reply Avg. Less Than 1 Reply per Day Don t Reply Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 6

7 BRAND POSTS AND ENGAGEMENT Engagement With Brand Has Grown While the number of sent increased by 22% between Q4 213 and Q3 214, the engagement on those grew even more. In Q3 214, there were Retweets, and favorites of brand (excluding brand-posted Retweets Engagement with brand was up 83% over Q Users on Twitter are becoming increasingly more willing to engage with branded content. This is reflected in the number of active engagements on branded content. Users are also willing to endorse branded content more than in the past, accounting for the increase in Retweets of brand content. Trended Brand Activity and Engagement with 1.6M Regular Post Engagement 3.K The number of Retweets of brand has increased 89% since Q M 1.2M 2.5K The Interbrand 1 companies had 27% more followers compared to Q4 213, accounting for some but not all of the increase in engagement. Favorites account for 59% of engagement with brand. This is up from 48% in Q Post Engagement 1.M 8K 6K 4K 2K 2.K 1.5K 1.K 5 Regular Sent Jul 5 Jul 12 Jul 19 Jul 26 Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 3 Sep 6 Sep 13 Sep 2 Sep 27 The engagement spike during the week of August 3th was driven primarily by influencer campaign. Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 7

8 CONTENT TYPES AND ENGAGEMENT Photos Spark the Most Engagement on Twitter Photos were the most common type of Tweet and caused the highest share of engagement. Photos made up 45% of sent, but accounted for 51% of all engagement. Links accounted for 37% of sent, but were only responsible for 26% and Retweets. Visual content on Twitter drives engagement, and top brands are capitalizing on this. While links underperform in terms of traditional engagement metrics and favorites), it s important to note that this engagement calculation doesn t factor in clicks, which are the primary goal of any link. Share of Twitter Activity and Engagement by Tweet Type Share of Sent Share of Engagement 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% % Photo Link Text Video Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 8

9 TOP LINK TYPES AND ENGAGEMENT Brands See Success With Visual Content Native photos and videos (links that Twitter auto-embeds in ) accounted for the majority of links posted by brands, and saw some of the highest engagement. 59,87 brand included links in Q3 214, up from 47,638 in Q pic.twitter.com links were the most popular, accounting for 14,581 and 14% of all links. This percentage was up from 1% in Q Tumblr.com links saw the highest engagement per Tweet, with and Retweets per Tweet, but accounted for only 51 of the sent links. Vine.co links, which display as embedded videos, accounted for 329 brand posts and saw the second highest engagement at and Retweets per Tweet. Number of Sent Visual content is a successful way to occupy more real estate without increasing post volume. Brands have recognized this, which is why the three most engaging link types are visual mediums. Bit.ly links are the second most used link type on the network, and while engagement is lower than other link types, it should be noted that this doesn t reflect click volume. Top Tweeted Link Types 16K 14K 12K 1K 8K 6K 4K 2K 256 Regular ,194 Avg. Engagement ,522 1,6 1,4 1,2 1, Avg. Engagement per Tweet pic.twitter.com bit.ly youtube.com vine.co instagram.com facebook.com pinterest.com tumblr.com Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 9

10 HASHTAGS Using Hashtags Drives Engagement Top brands saw success by including hashtags in. 95,825 included hashtags in Q This was up significantly from Q4 213, when only 52,741 included hashtags. with hashtags averaged and Retweets each, while with no hashtag only averaged 196 per Tweet. While calculated hashtag usage increases engagement per Tweet, that engagement drops off as multiple hashtags are included in. Avg. Retweets Impact of Hashtag Use on Active Engagement No Hashtag Contains Hashtag Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 1

11 INDUSTRY Media Brands Drive Engagement on Twitter While automotive is the most represented sector on Twitter, with 14 brands actively using Twitter, the four media brands represented drove the most engagement of any industry. Twitter Engagement by Industry 9.M Total Engagement Total Replies Number of Brands 15K Media brands accounted for 8,382,168 engagements during Q This was more than double the engagement driven by the next most active sector, retail. Restaurant brands engaged on a 1-to-1 basis more than any other industry. The four brands in that category sent during Q This was more than four times as as any other industry sent during the quarter. Media companies like MTV and Disney drove massive engagement on Twitter due to large followings and smart tactics, but a focused effort like that put forth by restaurant companies on Twitter drove engagement as well. Total Engagement 8.M 7.M 6.M 5.M 4.M 3.M 2.M 1.M Media Retail Restaurants Technology Automotive Luxury Beverages Electronics Sporting Goods Apparel 125K 1K 75K 5K 25K Total Replies Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 11

12 Conclusion As Twitter continues to grow and see record activity, brand marketers are standardizing practices and focusing more attention on engaging with their audience across the network. We ve found that several tactics have been contributing to brand success: Regular tweeting is key. 75% of brands tweeted at least three times per day. Brands are interacting more with individual made up 7% of all brand. The opportunity to connect with consumers is ripe on Twitter. Engagement with brand was up 83% since Q Visual content works. Photos accounted for 51% of all engagement with brand. with hashtags drive more engagement than without them. While growing an audience on Twitter and regularly engaging with followers requires time, patience, and work, there s an established value to doing so. The example shown by successful Interbrand companies speaks to the importance of a dedicated presence. Simply Measured Q3 214 Twitter Study 12

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13 About Simply Measured Simply Measured is a fast-growing team of data geeks dedicated to making the world of analytics and reporting a better, more beautiful place. Find out more at simplymeasured.com Our goal is to put the tools to understand business data in the hands of business users. We think reporting should be simple, attractive, and accessible for everyone not just data scientists. Our software streamlines the process from data to deliverables and eliminates the countless hours spent on everyday reporting tasks. We do this by putting cloud data sources at your fingertips, providing a marketplace of best practice reports, and allowing you to generate beautiful solutions on the web, in Excel, and in PowerPoint with a couple of clicks. Want to try Simply Measured? Request a Free 14 Day Trial Copyright Simply Measured, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction What Are Hashtags? How to Use Hashtags Why Use Hashtags? Hashtags for Contests Case Study: #ItsMillerTime Conclusion INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 2 Hashtags have become nearly