Understanding Twitter traffic

Interesting insight into the world of #twitter traffic referrals from @contently http://t.co/5sBNPEA7nh

— Plaster (@WeArePlaster) March 14, 2014

What’s the deal with Twitter’s numbers? The succinct social network is the darling of the plugged in, and plenty of effort is put into building association presences, some successful, some less so. It goes without saying that those 140-character messages play a big part in most social media campaigns.

But Contently’s Natalie Burg points out that as far as the big picture goes, Twitter’s referral traffic is tiny compared to the likes of Facebook and Pinterest.

“Arguably, the most glaring possibility is that Twitter doesn’t have the value for publishers that we’ve been pretending it does, and everyone should adjust accordingly,” Burg writes. “But Twitter’s defenders are stanch. Could there be a good explanation for the data? Maybe. Possibly.”

Burg runs through a number of possible explanations, from the difficulty in correctly measuring Twitter’s referrals to messaging problems. So take a peek and see if there’s a solution for what may be dragging your association’s Twitter traffic down. (ht @WeArePlaster)

Evading Crowded News Cycles

Thoughts ?http://t.co/v25W010stI

— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) March 14, 2014

We’ve covered the possible benefits of “newsjacking” before, with the Association for Death Education and Counseling sharing a particularly effective example of the marketing tactic.

As appealing as taking to social media in hope of capitalizing on the news cycle might be, it’s always good to use caution and precision. That’s where the advice from Gary Vaynerchuk’s recent chat with Ad Age comes in.

“When everybody is screaming at a loud party, nobody is breaking though,” Vaynerchuk warns, adding, “There’s a lot of everyday events that are much more interesting than the Oscars or the Grammys or the Super Bowl.”

So don’t always be lured in by big Hollywood debuts or globally viewed events. The most effective framing device for your outreach campaign could be hidden in the most unassuming of places. (ht @garyvee)

(photo by Garrett Heath/Flickr)