How succesful is Twitter for business.

Within a few years, Twitter became a real mania among a large group op people. First twitters were clearly personal focused messages. Exchanging quick information with friends. After sometime business picked up the hype and starts to integrate it within their existing social media activities. For some business it was their first step into the social media world. Although many claim that Twitter and other social media are inevitable for business success, real hard facts cannot be presented.

Facts and statistics.
The hard facts as presented on the Internet are less reliable as Twirus had to find out. According to their research, the Netherlands has 191.000 twitters. Only a small percentage, 1,45% of these accounts has more then 1000 followers. The most, 62%, has only 10 to 100 followers. De majority, 57%, is male and is on average 27 years old. But these research data fail to prove whether is concerns all Dutch citizens or dutch speakers. That would include a part of Belgium. Also many dutch twitters, use foreign languages during their tweets. Mostly English. These are neither included in the numbers. The research is executed among volunteers and has not been a random test among the twitters in the Netherlands. Worldwide approximately 118 million profiles are known. About 17% is really active on Twitter. But even these numbers are just a educated guess, as real thorough marketing research lacks.

Scientific proves lacks.
If you search the Internet for social media success stories, you will find thousands of entries. Each article has its own ‘ways to success’ with social media. But if you search for scientific prove of the business success of social media, it becomes a needle in a hay stack. Undoubtedly there are entrepreneurs how became successful by using social media, but business success is a complex process with many variables, of which many are not under control of the entrepreneur. For that matter, social media success is not that different from the classical way of entrepreneurship.

Old and new ways.
How does one become successful in business? Many books, congresses, experts can show you basic steps. Each claims that only their way, is the best way towards success. And many have tried and almost the same number have failed. Business success cannot be copy-pasted from a book or be learned during a masterclass. Becoming successful is hard work, long hours, dealing with many disappointments and failures. It is about exploring each opportunity to bring your product or service to the attention of your designated clients. And even then, it is to a certain level, a matter of being ‘lucky’. Being at the right place, with the right product at the right moment.

Using social media can add an extra dimension to promote your product or service. It does not mean that the classical ways don’t work anymore or became less significant. As the above mentioned figures show about Twitter, it is a limited group that is active on Twitter. Other research has shown that is more a medium for either young and / or mid to high educated people. The lack of thorough marketing research makes it difficult to setup a specific marketing strategy on social media.

Using social media.
Social media such as Twitter, can be used as a complementary channel to promote your products or services. In spite of the many success stories on the Internet, there is no well funded prove that one can become more successful using social media then by using the more traditional ways. However, ignoring social media would most certainly limit your chance on success as a significant group is using social media and can be best reach through these channels. So those who Twitter all day, try to get as many followers as possible, but still fail to succeed. It is not in the media or all the books. Success is hard work, lot of failures, and there are no guarantees.

Source: Twirus