Usage characteristics’ effect on word-of-mouth properties of Twitter advertising amongst undergraduate students at UCT

Abstract

Social network sites (SNSs) such as Twitter are of the fastest-growing types of websites on the Internet. SNSs provide a fast and easy way for users to exchange information and share experiences, which have enabled them to serve their users in other ways beyond traditional social purposes. This study examines the effectiveness of Twitter advertising an information source to obtain and share product recommendations with friends via word-of-mouth (WOM). The usage characteristics that influence consumers to pass on product information are also investigated. A survey was developed to gather data from a sample of undergraduate students at the University of Cape Town (n = 500). The study findings show that respondents indicated significant behavioural patterns towards Twitter advertising in terms of usage characteristics and the ability to convert the adverts into WOM of products and brands that are advertised. It is also clear from the research that companies that hope to convert consumers from following their adverts on Twitter into consumers who buy their products and share product information and experiences will have to find other ways to do so as respondents showed that they do not necessarily pass on information, which is viewed on advertisements.