Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and other politicians across the country are constantly asking followers to pitch in money to their campaign — but do those pitches actually work?
According to Twitter, absolutely.
The company commissioned a study from data research firm Compete and found the average Twitter user is 68% more likely than the average Internet user to visit a campaign donation page. Meanwhile, 97% of Twitter users exposed to political tweets are more likely than other users to visit a campaign donation page.
That increase in likelihood to donate may be because Twitter users inclined to follow politicians and political news are also already inclined to contribute financially to campaigns.
However, the study also found that political tweets drive a greater increase in traffic (97%) to donation pages than in overall visits to political sites (72%). It's impossible to know if a person who visits a donation page actually donates, but Twitter argues in its blog post that these numbers mean tweets "drive people to these sites with a greater intent to donate."
Both the Obama and Romney campaign have taken to using Twitter and other social media to make donation requests of followers when they're most engaged, such as during a campaign rally or a major speech.
What's the trick for political campaigns looking to boost their donations via Twitter? Tweet frequently, according to the study. Twitter users who saw a political tweet fly across their stream across three to seven days were 31% more likely to visit a donation page than the average user. Bump that frequency up to over a week, and that rate increases to a minimum of 76% and a maximum of 130% more likely compared to an average tweeter.
It's worth noting that Twitter has a moneyed interest in getting politicians on board the platform, so this study's best taken with a grain of salt.
Do you think Twitter can drive donations? Have you donated to a political campaign because of what you saw on Twitter? Share your story in the comments.
Mashable explores the trends changing politics in 2012 and beyond in Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote, an in-depth look at how digital media is reshaping democracy.
Read a few of the top posts from the series:
- Election 2040: The First President for Digital Natives
- Voter Data: What the Candidates Know About You
- How to Market the Next President
- Gaffesplosion: The Unrelenting Hype of Modern Politics
- How Social Media Can Safeguard Your Vote
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