"Catch of the Day" targets Social Media

Online shopping site "Catch of the Day" is aiming to harness the viral power of Twitter by offering a free gift to users who re-tweet its specials.

Users who re-tweet must have at least 150 followers and the tweet must contain "@TodaysCatch". The aim is hence to not only advertise specials but increase its own following.

It's a great use of social media in the marketing mix and fits well with Catch of the Day. As an online business the foray into social media is a natural one. Because they sell one product per day it's easy for users to re-tweet as there are no complicated messages - just a great deal that some of their followers may be interested in.

Most importantly as there is a culture of trust on Twitter - users value the opinions and advice of their fellow "Twitterers" - Catch of the Day can enjoy instant credibility.

It's a great use of Twitter and social media in marketing.

In a Short-Lived Twitter...

According the the following article in the Sydney Morning Herald, more than 60 percent of new Twitter signups do not return after a month of using the site.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/twitter-users-not-sticking-around-20090429-amhm.html

The question is, what does this say about the usefulness of Twitter as a marketing tool for business? The article does say that Twitter has enjoyed exponential growth in 2009, due in part to celebrity endorsement of the site.

My opinion about all this centres around quality. Who do you want to follow on Twitter, and who do you want to follow you? Personally I don't want trend-governed celebrity followers. I seek out fellow writers, fellow social media enthhusiasts, people I can learn from and people I can bounce ideas off. The people who use Twitter properly know of its advantages. There's a bona-fide community comprised of like-minded people who are reaping the benefits of Twitter membership right now.

For business this is great news. Any organisation seeks to enhance its image and build awareness of its brand and product/service by targeting specific markets and demographics. Twitter provides one avenue by which to do this. It doesn't matter if 60 percent of users are gone after the first month - they are probably not the people you are trying to talk to anyway.