Social media is a mainstay of modern life. Individuals around the world keep up-to-date with friends, family, and interests through popular networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. With such popularity, social media allows businesses to reach a virtually limitless market to create authentic interactions with consumers. Twitter in particular has become a common outlet for businesses.
Yet, when potential is unlimited, trying to measure success is also hard to gauge. According to an article at ComputerWorld by Mary K. Pratt, up to 70 percent of businesses do not have a means of measuring the success of Twitter campaigns.
When trying to ascertain the ROI of Twitter, there are various methods that can be employed. From learning how to make sense of Twitter statistics to investing in CPanel VPS Web Hosting, here are a few keys to understanding Twitter success.
Set the Right Goals
When leveraging Twitter, it is critical to not only set goals, but understand what goals should look like on this kind of social network. According to Bridget Ayers on thegetsmartblog.com, up to 60 percent of Twitter users stop accessing their account after one month. This is not due to Twitter’s lack of potential, but rather users’ lack of insight to the service. Therefore, goals should relate to the account’s followers, retweets, and replies.
Another concrete goal can come from Twitter-specific promotions. Pratt’s article explores such an example with an Atlanta aquarium. To help measure the impact of ROI with consumers, the aquarium offered a special discount to consumers via Twitter, making it possible to gauge how many individuals were reached and how to best use that medium of marketing.
Ultimately, it is about planning. Twitter is wonderful for spontaneity, but to secure tangible results, tweets have to be executed in a consistent fashion. Through weekly updates or special deals, companies should define a clear approach through Twitter and know what they hope to gain, whether it be followers on the account or an increase in profits.
Use the Right Tools
It may seem obvious, but the best place to start when determining the ROI through Twitter is to take a closer look at the account’s statistics. While Twitter does provide information to users, there are also third party websites available to make data more accessible.
These sites, such as TwitterGrader or TweetStats, offer details such as the number of followers, the total replies, the amount of retweets, and more. It is imperative to look at the overall picture and not focus in on any one element. Total followers may seem impressive, but the number of retweets and replies can provide a more comprehensive look at success.
It is also important to be fully equipped for a Twitter campaign. As Pratt explains, some businesses simply do not have the time or knowledge to effectively start using Twitter. Businesses need employees who can create tweets that are understandable and engaging.
Businesses also need the necessary hardware. Being successful in Twitter can bring significant activity to a company’s website, making it important to have the web support to prevent an overload. CPanel VPS hosting is a particularly viable option, since it provides web hosting that is safe, secure, and supportive of upswings in traffic.
Make the Right Evaluations
Ultimately, when measuring Twitter ROI, it is about the quality of analysis. According to Mitch Betts at MarketingProffs.com, 25 percent of businesses simply do not know what to look at when evaluating the effect of Twitter on their business model. As Pratt points out, using Twitter in the business arena is still an evolving practice, and there are no tried and true methods and benchmarks.
However, by setting clear goals and systematically executing those goals, it is easy to see Twitter’s overall impact. Businesses simply need to be clear and adept, and using Twitter can dramatically change the way businesses connect with consumers.
At this stage, Twitter is a solution in search of a business problem. There are no easily accessible case studies that are not written by Twitter evangalists that can show real ROI that would convince a CEO of a bricks and mortar company to dedicate resources to Twitter. Perhaps in a few years, but not now