Email, Facebook and Twitter Audiences Are Different

With multiple channels springing up across the digital dashboard, messages must be tailored to resonate with audiences on email and social sites. Research suggests a look at simple demographics does not give a clear indication of how audiences differ; engagement in these channels is personal and depends more on psychographic characteristics.

According to ExactTarget’s “Subscribers, Fans and Followers” report, there is little cannibalization among the three channels—instead, there is significant overlap across email, Twitter and Facebook audiences.  Research conducted during April 2010 clearly suggests that online users engage 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.

“Consumers don’t silo their engagement with brands to a single channel, instead they tend to ‘layer’ marketing channels on top of one another to meet their different objectives,” said Morgan Stewart, principal, ExactTarget’s research and education group, in a statement.

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, showing that email is still the preferred channel for brand engagement even among heavy users of social media sites.

Users also engage with a greater number of brands via email.

But analyzed psychographically, ExactTarget found different patterns of engagement. Email appeals to just about everybody. Groups that had the greatest focus on becoming fans of brands on Facebook tended to be younger, but also shared a motivation for entertainment and the ability to publicly show support for brands. The report suggests 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.