Engage Twitter Audiences, Gain High Return on Investment

Earlier this year, Time’s social media editor, Allie Townsend, and social media associate, Amy Lombard, announced their list of “The 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2012.”  After perusing the list, I started thinking about what Twitter users top the charts in my book. The ones that came to mind engage audiences and appear to translate into high return on investment (ROI.)

Top 3 Twitter Users:

- @IsaChandra

- @peoplemag

- @katiecouric

@IsaChandra:

Isa Moskowitz, a vegan cookbook extraordinaire, excels by providing relevant info to her followers. In a week’s time, followers can expect pictures of Isa’s baking, as well as the occasional new recipe. She also does a great job answering her followers’ questions, like “how do you use agar?” Moskowitz has developed a following that views her as an authority on vegan cooking and baking. Showcasing her newest creations keeps readers enticed and dying for the next recipe or cookbook. This seems like the perfect formula for high ROI.

Quick Facts from March 18-March 24:

-       In a week’s time, @IsaChandra tweets approximately 40 tweets for an average of five tweets per day.

-       Of those tweets, about 15 include photos.

-       She posts approximately one new recipe per week.

 @peoplemag:

People Magazine, known for its celebrity news, uses Twitter to quickly communicate the newest gossip. The account rarely retweets, which seems to enhance People’s reputation as an accurate source. Each tweet conveys info succinctly. Additional info, in the form of a link to the full story, is almost always provided. This method translates into higher clicks to the main website and possibly more purchases at the newsstand. The tweets are mixed up from time to time with fashion and beauty advice, as well as some user interaction. This keeps the profile fresh and interesting.

Quick Facts from March 18-March 24:

-       In the past seven days, @peoplemag tweeted approximately 72 times for an average of 10 tweets per day.

-       About three tweets included fashion and beauty advice.

-       The majority, approximately 60 tweets, included links to full length stories.  

@katiecouric

Katie Couric’s use of Twitter is based around user engagement. Many of her tweets are responses to followers. Not only does she reply to fans’ questions, she also invites them into her life. She posts pictures of herself at work, basketball games and with family. This makes users feel connected with Couric. Throughout the personal interaction, Couric tweets news stories. Followers see Couric as a friend and credible news source. As her new talk show airs, this interaction could lead to higher ROI.

Quick Facts from March 18-March 24:

-       @katiecouric tweeted 50 tweets in the last week for an average of seven tweets per day.
-    Nearly one third of tweets featured a personal photo. 
-    Couric provides approximately two news stories daily through Twitter.

#SahelNOW- a success?

I just stumbled onto news about the #SahelNOW campaign this afternoon. I had been on Twitter and other news sites, but I hadn't heard anything, until I decided to go to cnn.com, not a regular news source I use. This led me to wonder what was the campaign, what strategies were used and was it a success. Undoubtedly more news will follow about the campaign's efforts. Below I have briefly analyzed some of the tactics used. 

Twitter

Once I learned about the campaign, I searched the hashtag and found numerous tweets. Many celebrities have jumped on board such as @selenagomez (she has over 11 million followers) and @shakira (her tweet about Sahel was retweeted 750 times.) 

UNICEF is also constantly tweeting. They are utilizing multiple accounts, such as @unicefusa, @unicef_uk and @unicefaustralia. This helps get the message out to multiple regions and followers. Throughout the day, they have posted links about how UNICEF helps people in the area.

They have also created a Storify page that groups all social media news in one place. This helps consolidate the cause in one succinct page. I would suggest using this page to educate those that are not familiar with the campaign. 

Facebook

Throughout the day, UNICEF has updated its Facebook page. On Facebook they did a good job of providing people with the tools to educate others. They provided a video for people to share and a timeline cover.

Website

The website has a link devoted to news coverage of the event. This includes Twitter and Facebook posts, as well as traditional media. This is very similar to the Storify page, but it is located next to the donate button. This allows people who are donating to learn more about the cause.

YouTube

I think YouTube is perhaps one of the weaker aspects of the campaign. The main video, "Sound the Alarm" is not engaging. Although the images are gut wrenching, the video moves more like a slideshow with only written text. There have only been 306 views.

There are additional videos in the series that have more views, but this is the intro video. There is a video of Mia Farrow with children in Africa. If UNICEF, doesn't engage immediately they will lose viewers.

Media Relations

We will see as the campaign unfolds, but as far as I know CNN is the only major media outlet to cover the story. Although this is a success, it could be missing many other viewers. If I hadn't just decided to go to CNN today, I would have missed the story.

Conclusion

I think UNICEF is doing a great job with Twitter and Facebook. They are engaging audiences. When it comes to YouTube and Media Relations, the campaign seems to be lacking. Perhaps this shows what audiences they are targeting. Youth are easily persuaded through social media. Older generations may require more media news. It will be interesting to see the success of today's #SahelNOW campaign.