You CAN (and Should) Use Twitter for Sales Leads

A recent survey on Twitter usage in the US by Edison Research/Arbitron Internet shows that your prospects and customers are out there on Twitter, and if you're not, you're missing an opportunity!

Twitter Usage in America: 2010, conducted this past February and released last month, concludes that Twitter is more of a broadcast channel than many realize. The majority of users don't post...but they are definitely reading and clicking.

Highlights of Twitter usage include:

• 87% of all Americans are now aware of Twitter (the percentage of Americans who are aware of Twitter actually supersedes the percentage of those who have Internet access (85%))!
• That 87% is compared to just 26% who knew about Twitter's existence last year. (By comparison, Facebook had 88% awareness among those surveyed, with 41% saying they had a profile.) 
• 42% of respondents are using Twitter to learn more about products and services, and 41% are using it to swap reviews.
• 28% are using Twitter to look for discounts and sales, and 21% are using it to purchase products and services.
• 19% of Twitter users are out there seeking customer support.
• When asked "Do you follow any brands or companies on social networks", 51% said they follow brands on Twitter.

Highlights of Twitter demographics include:

• Twitter users are well-educated (30% attended a four-year college, compared to 19% of the general population; 63% have a college degree) and relatively well-off (nearly half have a yearly household income above $50,000.)
• Twitter users index very highly for technology ownership (49% own iPods, 23% own iPhones, and 28% own a Blackberry).
• 53% of Twitter users are women; compared to 47% men.

In summary, although the name is goofy, and the channel is often disparaged for it’s frivolous number of tweets, the fact remains that many intelligent, well-educated consumers are leveraging Twitter for their buying decisions. Buyers are consuming information on Twitter as an alternative to traditional channels;  and this shift is a huge sales opportunity.

(And BTW, if Twitter is still a black hole to you, go to amazon.com and buy this book right now, title not necessary to mention.)

- Carla Gates, Director, Marketing, Glance Networks

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