It’s important to remember that the same people who Twitter about their consumer experiences will often be the very same people who tweet about their church experiences – both good and bad.

A new study released by ExactTarget finds consumers who are active on Twitter are three times more likely to impact a brand’s online reputation through syndicated Tweets, blog posts, articles and product reviews than the average consumer. Here’s how that breaks down:

Reason to Twitter Company or Brand (% of US Twitter Users)
Reason to Twitter	% of Users
Get updates on future products	38%
Stay informed about company activities	32
Receive discounts and promotions	31
Get updates on upcoming sales	30
Ger free samples, coupons, etc	28
For fun or entertainment	26
Get access to exclusive content	25
Learn more about company	25
Show support to company to others	23
Share ideas, provide feedback	20
For education about company topics	14
Recommended	14
Get direct message from company	10
Source: ExactTarget, August 2010

While the information is focused on these tweeting consumer habits, the correlation between tweeting about a company/brand and a local church is very similar. In both instances, the experience determines why they’d tweet about either entity.

In the survey above, it’s worth noting that of the 13 ‘reason to Twitter’ the top 8 – over half the list – are because of a benefit to the consumer. In church speak, this means that the person is interested in what you’re doing and is motivated to tweet about you. The implication for churches is to have a constantly updated, useful Twitter feed(s) so they can follow and discover benefits for themselves.

According to the report, daily Twitter users are about three times as likely as internet users on average to upload photos, four times as likely to blog, three times as likely to post ratings and reviews, and nearly six times as likely to upload articles. Church translation: your Twitter followers are sprayers – people who will talk about their experiences with your church, share their thoughts, and generally make their feelings known online. In other words, your Twitter users are highly influential and worth your attention.

I think it’s also important to note that, given some love and attention, these people can be fantastic online advocates for your church and ministries. Raving fans who spread your message for you are exactly the kind of viral messaging you want online.

Content/Research sources: ExactTarget and the Center for Media Research