Article, Report, Interactive Tool: How Are Email, Facebook and Twitter Audiences Different?
While this summary and the underlying research is aimed at Internet marketers, it's not only interesting reading but should be, at the least, thought about by libraries, vendors, and others in the profession who use e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter to communicate with users/customers and perhaps even potential users/customers.
According to ExactTarget’s “Subscribers, Fans and Followers” report, there is little cannibalization among the three channels—instead, there is significant overlap. Most internet users studied in April 2010 engaged with brands only via marketing emails, but nearly a third subscribed to emails in addition to being fans of brands on Facebook. The vast majority of social media fans or followers were also email subscribers.
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Overall, 94% of daily email users subscribed to marketing messages. Two-thirds of daily Facebook users were brand fans, and about four in 10 daily Twitter users followed a company or brand, [Our emphasis] showing that email is still the preferred channel for brand engagement even among heavy users of social media sites.
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But analyzed psychographically, ExactTarget found different patterns of engagement.
+ "E-Mail appeals to just about everybody."
+ "...using Facebook for both informative and entertaining communications would be most effective."
+ "Twitter appeals most to consumers who want to feel up to date and in the know, suggesting information about new products and services or other brand initiatives would be of interest."
The article contains the following charts and graphs:
+ Marketing E-Mail Subscribers, Facebook Fans, and Twitter Followers, April 2010
+ Average Number of Brands Engaged via E-Mail, Facebook, and Twitter, April 2010
+ The Social Profile Interactive Tool
Select an age group and gender and generate profiles for various groups of users. Make sure to read the help info that provides a full explanation. The numbers come from the same report from ExactTarget where the other numbers in this post are located.
Access to several reports (including the one where the stats above come from) are available (free) but do require registration.
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