We Are Being Analyzed on Twitter for Marketing Purposes

Most of us know that the Big Brother is watching us on social media. So, whether or not we want to be watched is out of the question. The debate turns to: To what extent should we be monitored? And more importantly, are we being watched for a good reason?

Twitter, for example, will soon allow advertisers to target users based on their “assumed” interests and hobbies, according to this Wall Street Journal video. Twitter is able to do that because it knows what users like by analyzing their tweets, favorite tweets, retweets, interactions with other users, keywords in Twitter search, the following list, and the follower list.  

In fact, other big players in the market like Google and Facebook have been running targeted ads for a while, but I still think this could be good news because marketers will have an additional medium to reach target customers --- users on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter are different in many ways in my opinions. Besides, this could an important move for Twitter before it announces the IPO (initial public offering).  

Today’s technology allows marketers to closely watch consumers about just everything, from body temperature, motions, and heartrates in a shopping trip, to their shopping routines. I am not sure if consumers are happy about that, but I believe many marketers are. Would you agree? 

The business implications of monitoring internet users’ online behaviors, however, can go beyond marketing. HR is another good example. Social media has become a very important tool in recruitment and employee selection. Hiring managers can now analyze a job candidate’s online presence before making an offer. If a job seeker does not know how to present himself/herself with 140 words or how to leverage the power of social media in job search, s/he would miss many good opportunities.

If you are a HR professional, how do you use technology in managing an organization’s human capital? If you are a job seeker, what tactics can you use in job search on social media?

Besides Marketing and HR, what other departments can use social media for their advantages? How?

References:
The Twitter logo was downloaded from https://twitter.com/logo