A report out today says that 90% of people who use Twitter are real people, only 10% are brands, and that more than 80% of tweets barely mention brands.

The report from digital marketing agency 360i says that it is important for marketers to remember that Twitter is not a “marketing or professional networking tool”, but rather “a consumer-dominated medium”.

When brands do get mentioned on Twitter the vast majority or 56% are tweets about social network, entertainment or technology brands.

This will surprise no one: the top brands mentioned on Twitter are Twitter itself, Apple and Google.

The report makes the point that is often forgotten by some brands using Twitter. It says that while marketers have a voice in the mix “Twitter remains an important tool for listening to what consumers are saying” and out of that can emerge “ripe opportunities for brands to get to know their customers”.

Where brands are still failing

There is plenty of truth in the report says about how many brands still talk at people and not with them. It is a reminder that Twitter is a conversation: more than 40% of tweets start with an @mention – meaning they are directed at someone; just 24% of tweets are straight personal status updates addressed to followers.

Some stats
94% of tweets are personal (vs. professional/self-promotional)
92% of users keep their tweets public
85% of tweets reflect original content (non-RTs)
43% of consumer tweets are conversational (@replies to other users)
12% of all marketer tweets demonstrate active dialogue with consumers

Twitter benefits brands that are part of the cultural fabric
The report cites the success of slanket brand Snuggie (yes the “Blanket With Sleeves” brand) as one of the most mentioned brands in the study that appeared in 2% of all conversations despite its small corporate following – @OriginalSnuggie has just 668 followers.

“In this case, the high volume of mentions seems to be more indicative of its permeation of the cultural fabric and less about a concerted social marketing push from the brand. On the other hand, mentions of brands like Disney and Starbucks – both cultural fixtures on much larger scale – are likely bolstered by top-down social strategies that enhance consumer relations within the network.

“For example, Starbucks (@Starbucks) is one of the most engaging brands on Twitter (with just under one million followers at the time of this study) and Disney has recently made waves for being the first brand partner for Twitter’s trending topics and @Earlybird ad programs.”

When consumers talk about brands – they rarely say bad things
43% are largely sharing news or information about the brand
35% are reporting use of or interaction with the brand
20% of tweets mentioning brands demonstrate an outward opinion of the brand
82% of mentions fall into the neutral/informational category
7% of mentions demonstrate negative sentiment
11% reflect positive sentiment.

Howe marketers can do more
The thrust of the report is that marketers need to be more like real people: they need to be conversational to truly take advantage of Twitter and until they do that it will remain a largely untapped opportunity.

By 360i’s estimate only 1% of brand mentions by consumers on Twitter represent “dialogue between brands and consumers”.

It says rightly that marketers can benefit from engaging consumers by asking questions and inviting response rather than simply passing along information, which is what most do, as that’s how “deeper brand relationships” are formed.