The overactive Twitter user

Facebook is still king when it comes to social media marketing. With more than 750 million active users worldwide and 150 million in the United States alone, if small business owners could only have a presence on one social network, Facebook would be the easy answer.

However, it's foolish to assume that a business only needs to be on one social network. While managing multiple social profiles may be more time consuming, it's quickly becoming a necessity. Social networks are diverging – certain demographics may be more active on one social network than another or they may use it a different way.

The growing difference between Facebook and Twitter

Take, for example, Twitter. While Facebook accounts for the most time spent on the web for a significant number of Americans, Twitter users tend to access the social site more frequently. A recent report conducted by Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) found that 50 percent of Twitter users log in multiple times per hour, compared to the 34 percent of Facebook users. Conversely, 17 percent of Facebook users say they access the site only once per day, compared to 7 percent of Twitter members.

For small business owners, this means their content is less likely to be ignored by their followers. If they sign on more frequently, then they are reading their news feeds more often as well.

However, generating Twitter followers may be a challenge compared to Facebook. CMB's report also noted the difficulty associated with generating Twitter followers. Three-quarters of users don't follow any brands on Twitter and 4 percent don't know whether they do or not. Of the remaining 21 percent, only one-fifth follow 10 or more companies. Whereas Facebook users may be quick to "Like" brands and their products, Twitter users are decidedly less likely to do the same.

As the social network matures, that may change – Twitter users are steadily engaging more often with brands. Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents said they either interacted with companies the same or more through the social network, while only 11 percent said they did so less often. This is particularly the case with men – male Twitter users engage brands 38 percent more often than previously, compared to the 27 percent of women.

Fortunately, once companies get consumers on the hook, they don't often leave. Three-quarters of respondents (75 percent) said they have never unfollowed a brand on Twitter. Meanwhile,12 percent said they didn't know if they did, while 13 percent said they have.

Using Twitter to promote small business websites

Many small businesses use Twitter because of its active user base – entrepreneurs can leverage the site to conduct market research, perform customer service, collect user feedback, generate word of mouth or simply interact with their fans.

As the New York Times notes, most entrepreneurs leverage the social network as a free way to promote their small business websites – the only investment brands need to make to run a successful Twitter campaign is time. The social network does have a built-in advertising platform, but the high costs associated with it force many small businesses to focus on follower-building and interaction instead.

Does your company currently have a Twitter campaign? What strategies have you used to build your follower base? What has proven to be the best way to encourage consumers to follow your business? 

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