Is Twitter the Best Social Marketing Tool?

I recently ran across an interesting graphic about the habits and demographics of Twitter users. This graphic revealed several interesting facts such as Females use Twitter more than males, the most pertinent information for those using social media as a marketing tool revolves around the numbers on user retention.  By taking a look at these retention numbers, one can make a fairly accurate assessment on the potential value this application brings to the table.

The user retention numbers  that were on the graphic are as follows:
40%: Twitter’s user retention rate.
1 Month: The average length of time most users are on Twitter before cancelling their accounts.
10%: The percentage of internet users who have a potential of being reached by Twitter.

The first item is user retention rate, which at 40% is actually pretty good in regards to consumer stickiness. Numerically this relates to four out of every ten users becoming consistent users of Twitter. In relation to marketing, it means that out of everyone who signs up for Twitter any marketing attempt using this service will only reach a few people. Combine the 40% user retention rate with the claim that Twitter will only potentially reach 10% of internet users and it can be deduced that while Twitter can be an effective tool, it should not be the sole social media service used in most marketing campaigns. The one exception to this are products which are made specifically for Twitter users.

This does not necessarily mean individuals and companies shouldn’t use Twitter at all. In fact, there are many success stories about using this mini blogging platform for marketing purposes. However, smart organizations will realize that Twitter should be part of an overall marketing attempt that incorporates other social media sites such as MySpace and FaceBook instead of relying solely on this single application.  By diversifying a social media profile to involve more than just Twitter, individuals and organizations take full advantage of what social media has to offer.