This Week On Twitter: Twitter More Valuable Than Facebook, Social Media ROI And Twitter Narcissism

Need a little weekend reading? We’ve compiled our top ten Twitter stories of the week, which includes a leading ad man’s prediction that Twitter will become more valuable than Facebook, a look at how people spend their time online, what social media success means for your business, news that Twitter might be turning us all into narcissists and how students are studying Twitter in college. Here are our top 10 Twitter stories of the week. 1. Twitter Will Be More Valuable Than Facebook, Says Industry Expert With Facebook gearing up for what is likely to be a $100 billion IPO and Twitter showing no signs – or interest – in following suit anytime soon, the suggestion that Twitter’s value might exceed that of Facebook, now or at any time in the future, might well appear to be folly. Not so, says Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of Ogilvy & Mather, and the man who helped turn Microsoft into a major force in the 1980s. Sutherland has not only tipped Twitter to ultimately outrank Facebook in valuation, but that the micro-blogging network will also will reveal itself to be a money-making monster. 2. How Do People Spend Their Time Online? [INFOGRAPHIC] Did you know that social networking is now the most popular online activity, with users spending more than one fifth (22 percent) of their time engaging on channels such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest? When you consider that the global online population now exceeds two billion, and that the average U.S. internet user spends 32 hours online each and every month, that’s a lot of time devoted to tweets, Likes and pins. 3. What Does Social Media Success Mean For Your Business? [INFOGRAPHIC] Did you know that some 53 percent of businesses are now using social media, and 88 percent of these say that exposure is the biggest benefit? While measuring the return on investment (ROI) of social media has always been problematic (certainly when concerned specifically with the bottom line), marketers have been bullish about other benefits, such as digital footfall – recent studies have shown that, applied correctly, a strong social media campaign can increase website traffic by up to 300 percent. 4. Is Twitter Turning Us Into Narcissists? Is Twitter turning us all into narcissists or is there something else at work here? There is – and that something is our need to feel important and the fact that narcissists on Twitter would be narcissists with or without the social network. Feeling important is a fundamental human need. We get this need by joining clubs, obtaining leadership positions, accomplishing big things and so on. Twitter is another outlet for that desire to feel special and should not be confused with narcissistic behavior... or should it? 5. Students Studying Twitter And Social Media In College Trying to decide what you want to go to (or back to) college for? How about social media? If you want to become a community manager it makes sense! Or maybe you want to be a data analyst? Either way – these programs have you covered! 6. Marketers Love Social Media More Than Booze, Drugs And Office Affairs [INFOGRAPHIC] In less than a decade social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook have rapidly integrated themselves into our everyday personal and professional lives, and no industry has been impacted quite as much as marketing. Indeed, your common or garden ad man is more than twice as likely to be active on Twitter than a “normal” person, and 92 percent are using the micro-blogging network to follow brands (compared with just 33 percent of regular folk). This trend continues (with differing ratios) on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and Spotify. They’re even (gasp) using Google+. 7. Want More Followers On Twitter? Tweet About Just One Topic, Says Research [STUDY] Stay on target. Stay on target. Heinous haircut and irritatingly whiney voice aside, that philosophy worked for Luke Skywalker (although less so for Porkins – may he rest in peace). And, according to new research, staying on target on Twitter might be the key to success, certainly if you define that metric by how attractive you are to prospective followers. 8. The Business Benefits Of Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC] Did you know that a quarter of Twitter users currently connect with brands on Twitter, and over one-third do so to receive promotions and discounts? The benefits of using Twitter for businesses are numerous. Marketers can use the platform to share content and links, sending traffic back to their e-commerce website or blog, track industry buzz, network and engage, provide customer support and, vitally, position their brand’s message directly in front of advocates and fans. 9. 19 Twitter Profiles Now Have More Than 10 Million Followers (Including, Finally, @Twitter) It was a big weekend for Twitter as the official @Twitter profile became the 19th and latest account to reach 10 million followers on the micro-blogging network, passing the benchmark on Saturday. In doing so, @Twitter joins such luminaries as Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Shakira, Barack Obama and Kim Kardashian in the select group of users who can boast an eight-figure follower count. 10. Twitter, Facebook, Apps – Is Digital Clutter Taking Over Your Life? [INFOGRAPHIC] Did you know that the average Twitter user has 126 followers, but only 35 percent of these are actual people? The rest? Brands, bots and spam. Collectively, Twitter sees hundreds of millions of tweets sent from its users each and every day, but this electronic impact isn’t limited to just one micro-blogging network. Facebook, email, YouTube, photos, financial information and all that personal data on your mobile and home computer adds up to a veritable mountain-load of internet content… all of which makes up your digital existence. Also this week: Who follows the most people on Twitter? Enterprise companies are choosing Twitter over Facebook Bragging on Twitter is like candy for the brain Twitter’s mobile site now looks good on all phones Twitter has taken impressive steps to protect a single user Did you know we have a newsletter? Sign-up to receive a daily digest of all things Twitter, sent straight to your inbox. Click here to sign up for the AllTwitter Newsletter.

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This Week On Twitter: Twitter More Valuable Than Facebook, Social Media ROI And Twitter Narcissism

Shea Bennett

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Shea Bennett