Dan Hollings’ posterous

Bridging the Gap Between Online, Offline, Social & Mobile Marketing 
« Back to blog

The ROI of Twitter Marketing, One Slice at a Time

I've shared many different ways to use Twitter for marketing over the past years. Yet, there are still many people that are naysayers. In fact, I spoke at a recent conference where it was proclaimed by other "experts" that because there was no solid analytical evidence that Twitter produced real results, it should be "back burnered" as an almost useless marketing avenue. Then we see examples like what AdAge is talking about... A pizza place in New Orleans, which has delivered much more than fresh hot Pizza (@NAKEDpizza).


In April, Naked Pizza launched an exclusive Twitter campaign that accounted for 15% of its business in a single "measured" day. All phone calls were tracked, each order was tallied based on where the customer came from, and it told revealed very quickly that Twitter is driving a lot of hard-dollar profits. According to Naked Pizza Co-founder Jeff Leach, "There's the brand marketing and getting-to-know-you stuff ... But we wanted to know: Can it make the cash register ring?" 

Abbey Klaassen, AdAge author on this piece stated:

Twitter's real-time messaging service is turning out to be a boon to local establishments, who are starting to get onboard -- mostly because the message pops into users' Twitter feeds and they're close enough to act on it. For Mr. Leach, who is targeting people within a three-mile radius of his store, that's key. He's gone so far as to erect a billboard outside his store publicizing Naked Pizza's Twitter handle...

The fact is that Twitter reaches mobile users - something that is often incredibly beneficial to local businesses. You can always find Twitterers by city too with a service like Twellow. Combine that with Twitter search to see who's talking about what you offer, and you'll no doubt begin brainstorming a solid campaign that will work for you.

Naked Pizza took integration of Twitter even further by adding their Twitter message (and username) on their billboard. This assures people are aware of your Twitter presence. Adding "follow us on Twitter" to your website is obvious, but for brick and mortar businesses, why not feature your Twitter account prominently on all your marketing materials - signage, coupons, business cards, or shall we suggest... your PIZZA box (or packaging).

You can not expect to find success using Twitter as a marketing tool if people do not know that you're on Twitter. And if you are on it, don't just stay on it, but get creative and use it to drive brand, traffic and sales. The ROI in Twitter is definitely there, perhaps a bit harder to calculate, but without question for those that are pro-actively using Twitter and fully integrating it into their campaigns and marketing materials... it's shouting out ROI loudly and proudly.

Comments (0)

Leave a comment...

 
Got an account with one of these? Login here, or just enter your comment below.
Posterous-login    Connect    twitter