Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter. 4 salesforce.com/marketingcloud. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Indu
THE SALESFORCE MARKETING CLOUD
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT BENCHMARK REPORT
Metrics from 3+ Million Twitter* Messages Sent Through Our Platform
*All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Table of Contents Benchmark Data
3
Recommendations
21
About the Data
23
Appendix
24
exacttarget.com 2 Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
Facebook Twitter Engagement salesforce.com/marketingcloud Benchmark Report 2
Benchmark Data Eight years ago, a tech company forever changed the meaning of the word “tweet.” Now, you can use Twitter to change the way your customers experience your brand. Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has matured into the social network of choice for breaking news, early tech adopters, power influencers, and brands looking to engage with the growing number of Twitter users. The size of Twitter’s user base and the platform’s ability to scale globally are encouraging an increasing number of brands to build a Twitter presence, 140 characters at a time. Twitter’s self-proclaimed mission is “to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly.”1 Millions of people and companies are taking advantage of that power and connecting Twitter with the customer journey, as these statistics show: • As of August 2014, Twitter reported 271 million monthly active users.2 • 500 million tweets are sent per day and 78% of Twitter active users are on mobile.3 • Seventy-two percent of Twitter users said they were more likely to make future purchases from brands they follow or engage with on Twitter.4 Twitter offers a wealth of ways for brands and customers to connect. The research conducted for this report, based on 3+ million tweets sent from our platform, unearthed several key findings. Consumers gravitate towards tweets that include photos. Brands and companies tweet photos only 8% of the time, although tweets containing a photo generate considerably higher reply and retweet volumes than those without photos. On average, tweets containing photos received 3.3 replies, while non-photo tweets received only 1.7 replies. Consumers are more than twice as likely to retweet a
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
photo tweet: on average, nine consumers will retweet a photo tweet compared to five for a non-photo tweet. See the “Recommendations” section (p. 21) for more data on photo-based tweets. Follower numbers are trending up. In 2013, companies tracked an average 43% increase in Twitter followers, with four industries tracking percentages higher than the average: technology and manufacturing (93%), retail and e-commerce (75%), CPG (55%), and financial services (55%). Few brands tweet on Sundays—the day with the highest engagement. During the work week, companies tweet the least frequently on Mondays and tweet more as the week goes on. Interestingly, companies aren’t engaging followers much during weekends, although their followers continue to engage them: Sundays garner the most retweets and replies to brands, but the fewest companies tweet on Sundays. The charts in this report depict Twitter engagement rates by day of week, month, time of day, and industry, combining both paid and organic tweets. Data collected across all industries represents more than 3.6 million tweets from companies in 15 industries. Read our recommendations at the end of this report for data-inspired marketing tactics tailoring these findings to your strategy. See “About the Data” on p. 23 for further detail on graphed data. The data in this report shows the average number of replies and retweets per tweet that was sent in a given industry or time period. For example, on average, a tweet from a CPG brand garners 2.2 replies and 8.8 retweets.
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
3
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Industry
CPG
Media and Entertainment
Financial Services
Retail and E-Commerce
Education and Non-Profit
Tech and Manufacturing
Travel and Hospitality
Average Replies
2.2
7.7
1.7
3.0
2.8
1.9
1.8
Average Retweets
8.8
23.6
17.1
11.5
15.3
4.0
5.6
Includes paid and organic posts
Tweets Sent by Industry
Each icon = 10 thousand tweets.
39k
47k
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Education and Non-Profit
199k
269k
Media and Entertainment
Tech and Manufacturing
94k Financial Services
303k
287k Travel and Hospitality
Retail and E-Commerce
4
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: All Industries Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
208.8K
4.2
23.6
FEB
213.5K
3.9
19.2
MAR
245.8K
4.3
19.0
APR
245.1K
4.5
27.7
MAY
287.9K
4.9
19.5
JUN
259.8K
4.8
23.2
JUL
311.6K
3.8
26.6
AUG
358.3K
4.4
22.7
SEP
368.0K
4.7
28.1
OCT
392.0K
4.8
28.7
NOV
384.3K
4.7
29.2
DEC
367.8K
4.4
32.8
Tweets Sent by Month
367.8K 384.3K
208.8K 213.5K
392.0K
245.8K 245.1K
368.0K
287.9K
358.3K 311.6K
259.8K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
5
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: All Industries Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
350.4K
5.9
43.9
MON
566.6K
4.2
26.4
TUE
594.4K
4.3
22.4
WED
588.0K
4.2
19.6
THU
588.7K
4.2
20.5
FRI
598.5K
4.2
21.9
SAT
356.3K
4.7
26.7
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
356.3K
350.4K
598.5K
566.6K
588.7K
594.4K
Includes paid and organic posts
588.0K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): All Industries Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
507.3K
5.6
34.7
4 AM - 8 AM
248.8K
3.9
29.7
8 AM - 12 PM
364.4K
3.1
18.3
12 PM - 3 PM
557.9K
3.7
20.0
3 PM - 6 PM
735.4K
4.5
22.1
6 PM - 9 PM
688.7K
4.8
23.2
9 PM - 12 AM
540.4K
4.9
27.3
Includes paid and organic posts
6
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
540.4K
507.3K
688.7K
248.8K
364.4K 735.4K 557.9K
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: CPG
Tweets Sent by Month
Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
2.9K
1.5
11.4
FEB
3.1K
1.5
4.9
MAR
3.1K
2.2
6.3
APR
4.1K
2.2
7.6
MAY
3.9K
2.6
11.9
JUN
3.4K
2.2
7.4
JUL
3.5K
2.4
8.6
AUG
3.3K
2.0
10.5
SEP
3.3K
1.7
6.8
OCT
2.8K
1.6
5.0
NOV
2.8K
4.7
15.7
DEC
2.4K
2.2
9.7
2.8K
2.4K
2.9K 3.1K 3.1K
2.8K 3.3K
4.1K 3.3K
3.9K 3.5K
3.4K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: CPG Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
2.2K
2.2
6.8
MON
6.8K
1.8
5.0
TUE
5.9K
1.8
8.5
WED
7.8K
2.3
9.8
THU
6.2K
2.0
9.6
FRI
7.0K
2.4
6.1
SAT
2.7K
1.9
23.0
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
2.7K
2.2K 6.8K
7.0K
6.2K
5.9K
Includes paid and organic posts
7.8K
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): CPG
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
4.8K
2.3
9.9
4 AM - 8 AM
2.1K
2.0
8.6
8 AM - 12 PM
3.5K
1.6
4.8
12 PM - 3 PM
6.1K
1.6
11.7
3 PM - 6 PM
9.3K
2.0
7.1
6 PM - 9 PM
8.3K
2.6
8.3
9 PM - 12 AM
4.5K
2.7
12.4
Includes paid and organic posts
8
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
4.5K
4.8K
8.3K
2.1K 3.5K
9.3K
6.1K
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Media and Entertainment Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
12.4K
7.1
21.6
FEB
13.5K
6.8
18.8
MAR
18.0K
6.8
30.8
APR
18.9K
6.6
22.8
MAY
18.7K
8.7
28.6
JUN
18.6K
8.2
25.6
JUL
17.5K
7.7
23.1
AUG
16.8K
8.1
21.2
SEP
15.7K
6.6
19.9
OCT
19.0K
7.5
24.2
NOV
14.7K
9.5
26.1
DEC
14.5K
8.8
21.0
Tweets Sent by Month
14.5K 14.7K
12.4K 13.5K 18.0K
19.0K
15.7K
18.9K
16.8K
18.7K 17.5K
18.6K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Media and Entertainment Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
18.8K
10.3
25.5
MON
29.8K
7.9
23.8
TUE
31.0K
7.1
23.7
WED
29.9K
6.7
22.7
THU
34.0K
7.7
25.2
FRI
33.3K
6.6
18.9
SAT
21.5K
8.1
27.0
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
21.5K
33.3K
29.8K
31.0K
34.0K
Includes paid and organic posts
29.9K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Media and Entertainment Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
33.4K
10.6
26.8
4 AM - 8 AM
6.4K
8.6
29.6
8 AM - 12 PM
10.2K
5.0
11.4
12 PM - 3 PM
26.7K
5.8
17.3
3 PM - 6 PM
39.5K
7.9
26.2
6 PM - 9 PM
43.0K
7.4
23.6
9 PM - 12 AM
39.0K
8.1
21.7
Includes paid and organic posts
10
18.8K
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
39.0K
33.4K
43.0K
6.4K 10.2K
39.5K
26.7K
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Financial Services Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
4.4K
1.3
4.4
FEB
4.3K
1.5
4.1
MAR
5.2K
1.4
5.9
APR
6.4K
1.5
10.6
MAY
8.7K
1.9
21.2
JUN
8.0K
1.9
45.6
JUL
8.5K
2.1
24.7
AUG
8.9K
1.5
63.6
SEP
8.5K
2.1
4.3
OCT
9.6K
1.8
5.9
NOV
9.5K
1.6
9.8
DEC
11.8K
1.5
5.5
Tweets Sent by Month
11.8K 9.5K
4.4K 4.3K
9.6K
5.2K 6.4K
8.5K 8.9K 8.5K
8.0K
8.7K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Financial Services Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
6.1K
1.4
4.6
MON
15.3K
1.8
44.0
TUE
17.6K
1.8
33.0
WED
14.9K
1.7
8.0
THU
16.6K
1.5
5.8
FRI
17.1K
1.7
13.5
SAT
6.4K
1.5
3.1
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
6.4K 17.1K
15.3K
17.6K
16.6K 14.9K
Includes paid and organic posts
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Financial Services Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
15.4K
10.3
24.0
4 AM - 8 AM
8.3K
8.1
25.9
8 AM - 12 PM
7.1K
4.6
10.5
12 PM - 3 PM
12.3K
5.6
15.0
3 PM - 6 PM
17.5K
7.5
20.5
6 PM - 9 PM
18.6K
6.8
20.2
9 PM - 12 AM
14.8K
7.2
17.1
Includes paid and organic posts
12
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
6.1K
14.8K
15.4K
18.6K
8.3K
7.1K 17.5K 12.3K
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Retail and E-Commerce Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
17.5K
2.8
7.7
FEB
19.5K
2.3
6.6
MAR
20.2K
2.6
7.5
APR
19.2K
2.9
8.1
MAY
23.6K
2.9
12.8
JUN
21.2K
3.8
12.9
JUL
24.0K
2.4
9.5
AUG
28.0K
3.2
12.2
SEP
25.8K
2.5
8.3
OCT
29.4K
3.3
11.5
NOV
33.1K
3.5
13.7
DEC
41.9K
4.1
27.1
Tweets Sent by Month
41.9K 33.1K
17.5K
29.4K
19.5K 20.2K 19.2K
25.8K 28.0K
23.6K 24.0K 21.2K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Retail and E-Commerce Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
39.8K
2.1
9.3
MON
41.9K
3.0
10.2
TUE
44.7K
3.0
13.2
WED
45.6K
3.0
11.5
THU
46.2K
4.6
13.0
FRI
48.9K
3.5
13.0
SAT
36.3K
2.5
10.1
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
39.8K
36.3K
41.9K
48.9K
46.2K
44.7K
Includes paid and organic posts
45.6K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Retail and E-Commerce Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
40.1K
2.9
8.8
4 AM - 8 AM
24.2K
2.2
8.0
8 AM - 12 PM
34.2K
2.3
11.2
12 PM - 3 PM
47.0K
2.6
11.5
3 PM - 6 PM
59.2K
3.8
14.7
6 PM - 9 PM
53.1K
3.4
11.2
9 PM - 12 AM
45.6K
3.3
11.0
Includes paid and organic posts
45.6K
40.1K
53.1K
24.2K
34.2K
59.2K 47.0K
14
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Education and Non-Profit Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
3.0K
2.7
14.4
FEB
3.0K
2.8
35.4
MAR
3.1K
3.0
16.4
APR
2.8K
2.4
11.6
MAY
4.8K
2.9
12.6
JUN
3.5K
2.8
10.3
JUL
3.5K
2.9
11.5
AUG
4.0K
2.8
9.7
SEP
4.1K
2.8
10.8
OCT
4.7K
2.9
11.6
NOV
5.4K
3.1
24.8
DEC
4.6K
2.9
14.0
Tweets Sent by Month
4.6K 5.4K
3.0K 3.0K
4.7K
3.1K 2.8K
4.1K 4.0K 3.5K
3.5K
4.8K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Education and Non-Profit Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
4.9K
3.0
14.8
MON
6.7K
2.7
13.3
TUE
7.8K
2.9
18.1
WED
7.7K
2.5
11.0
THU
7.4K
3.1
13.9
FRI
7.9K
2.7
21.8
SAT
4.3K
3.1
15.5
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
4.9K
4.3K
6.7K
7.9K
7.4K
7.8K
Includes paid and organic posts
7.7K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Education and Non-Profit Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
6.1K
2.6
17.6
4 AM - 8 AM
4.0K
3.6
22.6
8 AM - 12 PM
4.7K
3.4
25.5
12 PM - 3 PM
7.2K
3.0
12.7
3 PM - 6 PM
9.7K
2.8
20.6
6 PM - 9 PM
8.4K
2.5
9.6
9 PM - 12 AM
6.5K
2.7
12.8
Includes paid and organic posts
16
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
6.5K
6.1K
8.4K
4.0K
4.7K 9.7K 7.2K
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Technology and Manufacturing Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
10.1K
1.8
3.9
FEB
11.7K
1.7
3.7
MAR
15.8K
1.7
3.3
APR
18.2K
3.4
3.4
MAY
24.0K
2.1
4.2
JUN
21.1K
1.8
3.5
JUL
22.9K
1.7
5.0
AUG
25.8K
2.0
4.0
SEP
29.1K
1.4
4.1
OCT
33.6K
1.5
3.6
NOV
31.5K
1.5
4.1
DEC
24.9K
1.7
4.9
Tweets Sent by Month
24.9K 31.5K 10.1K 33.6K
11.7K 15.8K 18.2K
29.1K
24.0K
25.8K 22.9K
21.1K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Technology and Manufacturing Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
14.2K
1.8
3.4
MON
43.9K
1.6
4.1
TUE
50.3K
1.7
4.0
WED
53.6K
2.3
3.7
THU
47.7K
2.0
4.0
FRI
43.4K
1.7
4.2
SAT
15.6K
1.9
3.9
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
15.6K 43.4K
43.9K
50.3K
47.7K
Includes paid and organic posts
53.6K
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Technology and Manufacturing Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
30.1K
1.4
3.9
4 AM - 8 AM
19.7K
1.7
3.2
8 AM - 12 PM
27.1K
1.9
3.2
12 PM - 3 PM
40.1K
1.7
4.1
3 PM - 6 PM
60.3K
2.3
4.1
6 PM - 9 PM
52.3K
2.0
3.9
9 PM - 12 AM
39.1K
1.8
4.3
Includes paid and organic posts
18
14.2K
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
39.1K
30.1K
52.3K
19.7K
27.1K 60.3K
40.1K
salesforce.com/marketingcloud
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Travel and Hospitality Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
JAN
17.2K
1.6
9.0
FEB
16.6K
1.6
3.8
MAR
19.2K
2.0
4.7
APR
19.8K
2.6
5.9
MAY
25.4K
1.9
7.5
JUN
25.7K
1.8
7.6
JUL
27.0K
1.7
4.6
AUG
26.2K
1.5
4.3
SEP
24.8K
1.6
4.0
OCT
26.7K
1.7
5.0
NOV
28.6K
1.6
5.2
DEC
29.8K
1.5
5.5
Tweets Sent by Month
29.8K 17.2K
28.6K
16.6K 26.7K
19.2K 19.8K
24.8K
25.4K
26.2K 27.0K
25.7K
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Travel and Hospitality Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
SUN
26.5K
2.1
5.4
MON
40.4K
1.6
6.2
TUE
46.2K
1.7
4.4
WED
46.0K
1.6
5.2
THU
47.1K
1.8
6.7
FRI
44.3K
1.8
5.7
SAT
36.5K
1.5
5.4
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
36.5K
26.5K
40.4K
44.3K
46.2K
47.1K
Includes paid and organic posts
46.0K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Travel and Hospitality Tweets Sent
Avg Replies
Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM
50.9K
1.6
7.3
4 AM - 8 AM
36.5K
1.7
4.9
8 AM - 12 PM
40.0K
2.3
5.7
12 PM - 3 PM
34.7K
1.7
4.5
3 PM - 6 PM
47.2K
1.7
5.3
6 PM - 9 PM
40.7K
1.8
6.1
9 PM - 12 AM
36.9K
1.6
7.0
Includes paid and organic posts
50.9K 36.9K
36.5K
40.7K
40.0K
47.2K 34.7K
20
Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Recommendations With the right strategy, every tweet can become a valuable moment in the customer journey. Based on our benchmark findings, consider these insights to help guide your Twitter strategy toward improved ROI and greater results.
Overall Recommendations Photos incite higher rates of Twitter engagement. Tweets with photos receive more replies and retweets than text-only tweets.
Twitter Engagement Rates: Photo vs. Text Tweets Photo Retweets
Text Retweets
Photo Replies
Text Replies
CPG
10.8
8.3
3.3
2.0
Media and Entertainment
56.8
19.9
11.6
7.2
Financial Services
46.7
13.6
4.8
1.5
Retail and E-Commerce
26.4
8.5
8.0
2.5
Education and Non-Profit
18.9
14.8
3.8
2.7
Tech and Manufacturing
6.4
3.7
2.9
1.8
Travel and Hospitality
9.0
5.0
3.3
1.7
Photo tweets encourage the user to click through and view a photo, which is a direct request for further engagement. Apply that principle to other tweets by including links to engaging content, while making sure that all content you tweet is mobile-optimized, given that 78% of monthly active Twitter users access the network via mobile device. Designate someone to oversee Twitter every day, during all hours of the day. Our data shows that Twitter users are just as engaged outside of normal work hours as they are during the typical 9–5 period. Consider how your brand might implement a round-theclock Twitter strategy, designating “on-call” Twitter managers (or one manager) to oversee the Twitter customer journey at every moment of the day, depending on tweet volume and resources. Brands should align their Twitter strategy with their own industry. If there’s anything these numbers prove, it’s that Twitter strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all. The media and entertainment, financial services, and education and non-profit industries receive the most retweets per tweet (23.6, 17.1, and 15.3, respectively), while the most replies go to media and entertainment, retail and e-commerce, and education and non-profit (7.7, 3.0, and 2.8, respectively). The bottom line: different industries perform better in different areas of engagement, and few industries rank highly in every engagement format. Your customers may be more interested in retweeting your content to their followers than replying, or they may rely on your Twitter account for quick replies to help them solve problems. Regardless of your product or industry, it should be your goal to fill the exact niche your customers need.
Includes paid and organic posts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Recommendations by Industry • Consumer packaged goods (CPG): Customers who follow CPG brands are most likely to reply and retweet your messages between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., so focus your attention on this window of time. CPG brands will get the most retweets on Saturdays with more than double the activity of any other day of the week. Interestingly, photo tweets garner the most retweets for CPG brands with a dramatic peak in photo retweets on Wednesdays. • Media and entertainment: Twitter followers of media and entertainment brands are highly engaged throughout the year. We see the most company tweets and consumer retweets on Saturdays and Sundays, followed closely by Thursdays—perhaps indicating that media and entertainment customers are the most engaged with companies on Twitter during weekend activities. Focus on these days as your largest window of opportunity to connect with Twitter followers. • Financial services: Prime times to reach consumers who follow financial services companies are from 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. (the period with the most replies and retweets to company tweets) and from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (the secondhighest period for retweets). Mondays and Tuesdays are when consumers are most likely to retweet brands in this industry. Photos do especially well for retweets in the financial services industry (see chart on preceding page). • Retail and e-commerce: Given retail brands’ propensity for holiday marketing, it comes as no surprise that December sees the most tweets from retail brands, with the number of tweets steadily increasing from October through the end of the year. Consumers responded in December by nearly doubling the amount of replies. Consumers are most engaged with brands
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
on Thursdays and Fridays, so brands in this industry have a unique opportunity to capture consumer attention before they make plans for weekend shopping trips. Although consumers are consistently engaging with brands throughout the day, we see a peak from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Think about your brand’s unique peak shopping times when planning a Twitter content strategy. • Education and non-profit: Education and non-profit organizations get more consumer retweets than most other industries. Capitalize on this higher retweet rate by tweeting on weekends and in the morning hours (4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)— times when more consumers are engaged with education and non-profit Twitter accounts. • Technology and manufacturing: We tracked 93% follower growth for technology and manufacturing brands over 2013, making this industry one of the fastest-growing on Twitter. Twitter users and tech brands are a perfect match, as Twitter officially launched in 2007 at the tech conference South by Southwest, with techies and early adopters alike swiftly embracing Twitter. However, tech and manufacturing brands are currently seeing low rates of Twitter engagement. Consider supercharging tweet content with infographics, videos, and photos to boost engagement and provide further Twitter value within the customer journey. • Travel and hospitality: Twitter marketers in travel and hospitality are sending a relatively high number of tweets but seeing relatively low engagement. Brands can foster more engagement by sending photo-based tweets to their followers, as consumers are more than twice as likely to retweet and reply to a photo tweet. Additionally, followers of travel and hospitality brands are more likely to retweet on Mondays and Thursdays and between the hours of 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
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About the Data We collected the data in this report from the Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform according to the following specifications. We extracted Twitter data from more than 3.6 million Twitter messages published through our platform in 2013, combining both paid and organic posts. We added further social insights from the 2014 State of Marketing report and third-party studies as noted. Graphs combining overall industry data include these industries: Advertising and Consulting; Automotive; Clothing and Fashion; Consumer Packaged Goods; Media and Entertainment; Financial
Services; Food and Beverage; Retail and eCommerce; Health and Beauty; Education and Non-Profit; Publishing; Sports; Technology and Manufacturing; Telecommunications; and Travel and Leisure. When reviewing pie-style charts in this report, note that numerical labels on pie charts show rounded values, and pie slices represent total values.
Let data help you lead the journey.
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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Appendix (1) about.twitter.com/company (2) about.twitter.com/company (3) about.twitter.com/company (4) business.twitter.com/products/promoted-accounts
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Social Engagement Benchmark Report: Twitter
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