Do you still need proof that Twitter is a major part of our society?  When you type, “What is” into Google Search, “What is Twitter” is the sixth highest. According to Google Search, this places society’s curiosity with Twitter just below love, and just slightly above Lady Gaga’s real name.  In all seriousness, the lingering question about Twitter is its effectiveness for businesses.

The Pareto Principle is the idea that 80 percent of results will come from 20 percent of the action.  Nielsen Media Research, a media metrics analysis company, researched how the Pareto Principle applied to Twitter in the United Kingdom.  Nielsen’s research found that seven percent of users were accounting for 79 percent of time spent on Twitter.  Facebook, on the other hand, had 52 percent of users accounting for 98 percent of the time on its website.

What this indicates is that Twitter is successful at drawing people to its website but, for whatever reasons, a majority of people have not been very active.  Should this deter you from utilizing Twitter?

In my opinion, emphatically – no it should not deter you.  Twitter is young and growing.  Unless your name is Bill Gates or Ashton Kutcher, Twitter followers and attention takes a lot of hard, but fun, work.  As Twitter becomes more of a societal norm, you will see the 79/7 rule start to even out to Facebook’s usage rate.

It is important that you or your company is not fully relying on or ignoring social media.  A healthy balance of social media and traditional practices will help best disseminate your message.  Just remember the wise words of Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”  So, get on Twitter already!

– Teddy Black, Account Executive