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8 Reasons Why Twitter Power Users Are Influential

Written by - 57 Comments
Categories: Social Media, twitter, Twitter Influence

Twitter is often touted as being a 140 character publishing platform for simpletons. In fact my first impressions when I started using Twitter in December 2008, was that it was a rather benign and simple way to send a type of SMS but on the web, consequently I was a rather light Twitter user for several months. Reasons Why Twitter Power Users Are Influential

I saw people who had ten thousand plus tweets and thought that they must not be doing anything else but tweeting from a desk locked away in some quiet cave while the rest of the world got down to work and play.

The power both real and perceived of Twitter to influence and accelerate attention was brought to my attention in stark relief when I was contacted earlier this year by the Global executives at Ford and General Motors regarding tweets about blog posts that I had published.

ExactTarget (which  is a leading global provider of on-demand email marketing and interactive marketing solutions including social media) recently published a new study which surveyed 1,500 consumers to identify the top motivations for following brands on Twitter and provide new insight into consumers’ expectations for interacting with brands online.

Morgan Stewart, the principal of ExactTarget’s research and education group said the study revealed that “Consumers active on Twitter are clearly the most influential online,” and went on to say “that even though the number of active Twitter users is less than Facebook or email, the concentration of highly engaged and influential content creators is unrivaled.”

“What happens on Twitter doesn’t stay on Twitter!!”

So why are Twitter power users so influential online.

  1. 72 percent publish blog posts at least monthly
  2. 70 percent comment on blogs
  3. 61 percent write at least one product review monthly
  4. 61 percent comment on news sites
  5. Daily Twitter users are 6 times more likely to publish articles
  6. Five times more likely to post blogs
  7. Seven times more likely to post to Wikis
  8. Three times more likely to post product reviews at least monthly compared to non-Twitter users

If you take the time to review the 8 key findings what stands out is that a Twitter user is 500% more likely to post blogs which is the core essence of publishing online. So Twitter has become the gathering place for content creators whose influence spills over into every other corner of the internet.


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  • http://ModelSuppliesBlog.com Anita Nelson

    We are a motivated group~! I love those statistics! Thank goodness I just posted on my blog – lol

    Anita @ModelSupplies

  • http://www.savonniyestanti.com SaVonni Yestanti

    Great post here! Keeps me motivated! Nice Job!

    @SaVonniYestanti (Twitter)

  • http://www.girlsgetaway.com Dian Emery

    great post, now I won’t feel quite so guilty when I spend too much time on twitter:)

  • http://www.possiblevacations.com Melissa Witbeck

    This is a great article and it is very true. I have met so many interesting people on Twitter @MelissaWitbeck and through my blog.

  • http://RichardBejah.com Richard Bejah

    A Great article again Jeff.. “I use Twitter and Blog too!” Twitter Addicts anonymous! It is 1 minute since my last tweet! LOL!

    Yes Twitter is an amazing tool to get known and have the exposure around the world…you meet so many people and YES people do read the tweets..
    I just love it I’m ONE BIG TWIT! RICH :0)

  • http://www.sourcebottle.com.au Rebecca Derrington

    “What happens on Twitter doesn’t stay on Twitter!!” Soooo true Jeff. I still find it hard to measure the immediate impact of Twitter via stats – but it’s been invaluable in helping me build my brand over the long term. And I find it’s one of the most important tools I use to keep abreast of updates/changes raised by key thought leaders in the area, who ALL use it very effectively.

  • http://www.pens.co.uk Neil Cleere

    That is such a good article. We have just started to use Twitter as part of our social media campaign. It is early days yet but isgns are encouraging. The mistake we made at the beginning was to try and push products and services but we have found to get the best from it the message has to be subliminal as it is a ‘social’ thing.

    Thank you once again for a great article

    Neil Cleere

  • http://www.bigacres.com Melanie Yunk

    Very encouraging post, Jeff! Reassures me that all our hard work in using Twitter for our social media campaign is worth it. There’s nothing like the rush from seeing your tweet retweeted multiple times or a recommendation from a customer! Hello, my name is @melanieyunk and I’m a Twitter addict. hee. hee.

  • http://www.melodylealamb.com Melody Lamb

    Super post, Jeff! I’m with Melanie, and I just KNEW there was a reason I’m so crazy about Twitter. :) Twitter accounts for 20% of all my blog traffic, I sell my art directly from Twitter, and I’ve raised close to $800 for my latest charity drive directly from Twitter. Here is a post I did recently about the power of Twitter for artists: http://bit.ly/do3uUV

  • http://www.flavordesigns.com Franziska San Pedro

    Jeff, thank you for your posts, they´re always great!
    I started with facebook which led me to twitter, I made great connections there, which led me to other places online and I finally started my own website one week ago. And interacting with others will open up more opportunities, more connections and more great ideas.
    Happy tweeting and connecting, it makes our world very lively,
    Franziska

  • http://harounkola.com Haroun Kola

    Great article, makes me want to tweet more :)

  • http://shakthisoft.net Shakthi (@v_shakthi)

    Wow ! I am now motivated to keep going

    @v_shakthi

  • http://opsafeintl.com Jonathan Wilson

    Would love to hear what the definition of a power user was for this, and where all those stats were pulled from.

    Jonathan

  • http://www.abrpm.com Kayode

    Where do I start from, twitter is the best thing that has happened to man, erm….. Maybe not. But surely its been an educational and economic experience for me!
    I have met so many thought leaders in their respective fields whom have significantly affected my decisions and in effect my bank accounts. I used to spend upwards of 5hrs daily on twitter but this fantastic people on twitter seem to send me on journeys outside twitter that take me weeks to cover!
    I have improved many aspects of my life through twitter but most especially my business! In conclusion, twitter is a fantastic tool with indefinite use.

  • http://westcoastchops.wordpress.com/ Adam Popescu http://twitter.com/mcaption

    Great commentary on who really runs twitter and its inherent value. Rock on Jeff!

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  • http://keepupwiththeweb.com Sherryl Perry

    Post to Wiki…… great idea! I’m not a Twitter power user (yet) but having read this post, I feel I’m well on my way. Thanks. :)

  • http://www.barbaraling.com Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach

    It’s definitely a long haul, but I’m finding more and more my Twitter efforts are returning very useful results for my promotion.

    One of my favorite parts, however, still remains just saying ‘hi!’ to everyone in the morning. :)

  • http://twitter.com/DinoCarlton Dean Carlton

    These stats make interesting reading – and provide a certain feedback loop thatshould encourage us to continue publishing, engaging and driving conversations. Another great post Jeff.

  • http://twitter.com/alokemajumder aloke m

    Such as good article and as usual very encouraging . Very interesting reading Jeff.

  • http://www.fasturtle.com Fasturtle

    Great Article – keeps us motivated and moving foward- @fasturtle

  • http://67tallchris.posterous.com Christopher

    Great facts to know. I was just having a conversation with a professional coach about her online strategy, and she had moved away from twitter almost completely, and was focusing on her blog and facebook.

    I was encouraging her that twitter is where the conversation happens, before a blog post, and where it continues after it has been published. Fantastic resource for any kind of blogger or content publisher.

    Now I have more ammo when I am standing on my twitter soap box, thanks :)

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  • http://twitter.com/StacyZapar Stacy Donovan Zapar

    Another great post, Jeff. I can’t get enough of your stuff! Thanks for sharing such great info and posting such quality content. I’m hooked!! :)

    @StacyZapar

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Stacy for your kind words. I am so glad you are enjoying the blog :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Stacy for your kind words. I am so glad you are enjoying the blog :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Stacy for your kind words. I am so glad you are enjoying the blog :)

  • http://twitter.com/StacyZapar Stacy Donovan Zapar

    Another great post, Jeff. I can’t get enough of your stuff! Thanks for sharing such great info and posting such quality content. I’m hooked!! :)

    @StacyZapar

  • http://twitter.com/StacyZapar Stacy Donovan Zapar

    Another great post, Jeff. I can’t get enough of your stuff! Thanks for sharing such great info and posting such quality content. I’m hooked!! :)

    @StacyZapar

  • http://twitter.com/boydnorwood Boyd Norwood

    It seems like everyday I hear of a way that connections through twitter helped someone achieve something awesome whether it be getting a job, a lead, a sale, or an idea for a blog post.

    And to think that only 6 months ago I talked very poorly about twitter:)

  • http://twitter.com/boydnorwood Boyd Norwood

    It seems like everyday I hear of a way that connections through twitter helped someone achieve something awesome whether it be getting a job, a lead, a sale, or an idea for a blog post.

    And to think that only 6 months ago I talked very poorly about twitter:)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for your comment Boyd. Twitter if used correctly and consistently will surprise you with what emerges. :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for your comment Boyd. Twitter if used correctly and consistently will surprise you with what emerges. :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for your comment Boyd. Twitter if used correctly and consistently will surprise you with what emerges. :)

  • http://twitter.com/boydnorwood Boyd Norwood

    It seems like everyday I hear of a way that connections through twitter helped someone achieve something awesome whether it be getting a job, a lead, a sale, or an idea for a blog post.

    And to think that only 6 months ago I talked very poorly about twitter:)

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  • http://zenhostel.jp Zen Hostel

     thanks for the advice on giving a product review… i’ll visit some of the local restaurants around here in Nikko Japan.

  • Anonymous

    Truly a great article.  I find the article not only states the 8 reasons why Twitter Power users are influential, it also could have been titled “8 ways to become an influential Twitter power user”.  There are many good articles out there, but not many that can serve more than one purpose.  An excellent piece of information, beyond worth reading.

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  • Lisa Tener

    All great reasons for authors (and aspiring authors) to be on Twitter!

  • http://twitter.com/DerekTac Derek Tacconelli

    Thanks for the article, you bring up some excellent points. I like the statistics you provide, the most interesting being daily Twitter users are more likely to publish articles and write reviews.

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  • http://www.cleancutmedia.com/ Clean Cut Media

    those are some powerful stats. not to mention the SEO benefit of having a poweruser tweet one of your post.

    quick ques: what are you defining as a poweruser? certain # of followers?

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  • SeattleMaven

    Great post, Jeff! I’ve been feeling like a Twitter evangelist for years. Glad to have another pulpit in the tent!

  • Anja Gerz

    So even when I start a blog and write blog posts weekly it’s worth the effort?

  • Karthik B V

    Nice Post. I believe Twitter is the right platform for the content creators,also through twiiter the content reaches the right audience.

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  • hbwbrooke

    I’ve just started a blog and already I’m finding your posts invaluable. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://twitter.com/jsncruz Jason Cruz

    Two years on, this article is still as valid as ever! (If not even more so!)

    jsncruz
    jsncruz.com

  • jasontoheal

    very interesting. i think that makes sense too.

  • http://twitter.com/NothingKnewBlog Nothing Knew

    thanks for the post. Great stuff!

  • LDGalvinJr

    Great post ! Very valuable insight.

  • hughosmith

    I thought the same about Twitter at first but just recently I’ve recognized it for the powerful tool it is. I wish I had sooner.