Driven to Tweet, But Why?

At this year’s Fortune Brainstorm TECH, journalist Andy Serwer asked Barry Diller, the chairman and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp, somewhat irreverently whether he Tweeted. Diller unabashedly admitted his reluctance to Tweet saying he didn’t think people would care if he’s going to the dentist. The same question was later posed to Ashton Kutcher, an American actor with over 3 million Twitter followers. He readily admitted to posting up to 100 Tweets a day to @aplusk, and actually remarked that he would tell people about his visit to the dentist.

In categorizing social media, do Barry Diller and Ashton Kutcher represent a generation gap? I don’t think so.

The old way of thinking would explain their different mindsets purely on demographics: youth embrace social media, older generations don’t. But that’s not the whole story. According to eMarketer, 17% of the WWII generation (65+) use Twitter, which is comparable to the 18% of Gen Xers (30-44). In fact those two groups comprise the largest percentages of Twitter users among all generations! So by this logic, Barry Diller should be embracing Twitter just as much as Ashton Kutcher. Something else is going on.

At Ruder Finn, we’ve identified intent as the key driver of social media. To use these tools more effectively, companies need to step back and look at why consumers are going online. Traditional notions of demographics no longer apply in the online space, where it doesn’t matter where you live or what you make or how old or young you are. Intents have become the new demographics. And better understanding online intent will help in aligning business objectives with what consumers want.

In June, Ruder Finn released the results of our inaugural, quarterly survey that looks to answer this exact question of why people go online. The Ruder Finn Intent Index reveals seven core intents: socialize, have fun, learn, express yourself, advocate, do business, and shop. Two particularly interesting findings include:

• More than twice as many people go online to socialize (81%) than to do business (39%) or shop (31%).
• Seniors are going online today for the same reasons younger people are: to have fun (82%) and to socialize (80%).

So how can businesses enter an environment where people are predominantly looking to socialize?

First they need to realize that social media is on everyone’s lips, whether they’re embracing it or not. So businesses need to determine how social media can help them align their key messages with user intent so as to foster trust and credibility. This intersection has recently been exemplified through the Motrin Mom fiasco and the CDC’s swine flu response.

When Motrin launched its controversial commercial targeting baby-sling wearing moms last November, outraged moms immediately spoke up on Twitter and blogs. Their anger became viral faster than Motrin could keep up. They went online with the specific intent to vent and influence opinion. According to the Ruder Finn Intent Index, 62% of users go online to opine while 56% of users do so to influence others. The online activity was not due to the demographic — mothers with young babies — but to their intent, one that extends beyond the traditional demographic lines.

And when rumors spread online about the H1N1 virus back in the spring, we saw how people respond to credible information online and look to social media to provide the answers. Wanting to stay healthy, people were looking for a reliable source to provide accurate information, and the CDC stepped in. Consider that according to the Ruder Finn Intent Index, 79% of users go online to keep informed and that of those, 65% have the specific intent to get news on current events. Through Twitter, the CDC was able to quickly provide updates for an eager public — the CDC son had as many as 65,000 followers on Twitter, reflecting as high an 86% increase.

In understanding how intent drives online traffic, businesses can better determine the strategic points of entry that engage consumers in the two-way conversations they seek. Through such meaningful engagement, businesses can enhance their credibility and strengthen consumer trust in their brands.

Kathy Bloomgarden is co-CEO of Ruder Finn, one of the world’s largest public relations agencies, and the author of Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders.