Twitter's Unique Users Could Bring Earnings Success

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Twitter is shaping up to be a primary beneficiary of social networking's momentum – thanks to its users. This includes teens, who find Twitter trendier and more unique than all other leading networks. And Twitter's users could bring it early financial success. Twitter's nascent advertising platform has more potential than that of Facebook, which generated $2.34bn in advertising revenues last quarter.

That's according to new data from Frank N. Magid Associates, a research-based strategy consulting firm. Magid's latest research finds that Twitter users average 34 years old (compared to 37 among average social media users), are 14% Hispanic (10%), and that 31% of them have annual HH incomes over $75k (25%).

Furthermore, Twitter users are heavy digital and mobile consumers. They clock in 19% more time on social media than average social users. And when looking at activities they do at least once a week, 81% of them watch online video on a computer (compared to 67% among average social media users), 76% use a smartphone (64%), 69% play video games (60%), and 54% use a tablet (40%).

Teens are an important segment of Twitter's users. Teen users of Twitter grew from 39% of 12-17 year-old social media users in 2012 to 44% in 2013. And teens have strongly positive attitudes toward Twitter. When compared to other major networks like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, teens consider Twitter the trendiest and most unique. Additionally, teens think Twitter is the most informative social network, which is a key use driver for its increasing popularity.

These user strengths could lead to early financial gain for Twitter. Both Twitter and Facebook advertising is highly effective. More than one-third of each network's users click on sponsored content at least once a month. But when asked about attitudes toward sponsored content, Twitter's users describe its ads more positively than Facebook's across the board, suggesting that Twitter could raise its advertising loads above current levels.

Magid's annual Social Media Study provides in-depth insights regarding social network advertising, demographic engagement trends, mobile use, social commerce, social TV, and other critical topics. The research is based on a nationally representative sample of 1,843 12-64 year-old social media users in the US.

SOURCE Frank N. Magid Associates