In this Social Engagement Benchmark Report, we analyzed data from more than 3 million Twitter messages to present today’s most complete portrait of Twitter messaging performance. Among the key findings: - Twitter engagement is highest on Sundays—the day with the fewest brand tweets. - Twitter users gravitate towards photo-inclusive tweets. Brands tweet photos only 8% of the time, although consumers are more than twice as likely to retweet a photo tweet. - In 2013, companies saw an average 43% increase in Twitter followers. We also segmented Twitter data by industry so you can compare your success metrics with companies most like yours. Ready to see how you measure up? Download the full report here: https://www.exacttarget.com/benchmark-2014/social-engagement-tw?ls=Blog&lssm=Corporate&lss=Blog.2014BenchmarkReport.Twitter&camp=701A0000000xhUEIAY&content=701A0000000xhUEIAY

1. SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
BENCHMARK REPORT
Metrics from 3+ Million Twitter* Messages
Sent Through Our Platform
*All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

2. Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has matured into the
social network of choice for breaking news, early tech
adopters, power influencers, and brands looking to
engage with the growing number of Twitter users. The size
of Twitter’s user base and the platform’s ability to scale
globally are encouraging an increasing number of brands
to build a Twitter presence, 140 characters at a time.

3. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Industry
CPG
Media and
Entertainment
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
Financial
Services
Retail and
E-Commerce
Education and
Non-Profit
Tech and
Manufacturing
Travel and
Hospitality
Average Replies 2.2 7.7 1.7 3.0 2.8 1.9 1.8
Average Retweets 8.8 23.6 17.1 11.5 15.3 4.0 5.6
Includes paid and organic posts

4. 39K
199K
94K
303K
47K
269K
287K
Tweets Sent by Industry
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Media and Entertainment
Financial Services
Retail and
E-Commerce
Education and Non-Profit
Tech and Manufacturing
Travel and Hospitality
Each icon = 10 thousand tweets.
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

5. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: All Industries
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 208.8K 4.2 23.6
FEB 213.5K 3.9 19.2
MAR 245.8K 4.3 19.0
APR 245.1K 4.5 27.7
MAY 287.9K 4.9 19.5
JUN 259.8K 4.8 23.2
JUL 311.6K 3.8 26.6
AUG 358.3K 4.4 22.7
SEP 368.0K 4.7 28.1
OCT 392.0K 4.8 28.7
NOV 384.3K 4.7 29.2
DEC 367.8K 4.4 32.8
259.8K
213.5K
245.8K
245.1K
287.9K
208.8K
367.8K
384.3K
392.0K
368.0K
358.3K
311.6K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

6. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: All Industries
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 350.4K 5.9 43.9
MON 566.6K 4.2 26.4
TUE 594.4K 4.3 22.4
WED 588.0K 4.2 19.6
THU 588.7K 4.2 20.5
FRI 598.5K 4.2 21.9
SAT 356.3K 4.7 26.7
598.5K
588.7K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
588.0K
566.6K
594.4K
356.3K 350.4K
Includes paid and organic posts
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

7. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): All Industries
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 507.3K 5.6 34.7
4 AM - 8 AM 248.8K 3.9 29.7
8 AM - 12 PM 364.4K 3.1 18.3
12 PM - 3 PM 557.9K 3.7 20.0
3 PM - 6 PM 735.4K 4.5 22.1
6 PM - 9 PM 688.7K 4.8 23.2
9 PM - 12 AM 540.4K 4.9 27.3
688.7K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
540.4K 507.3K
735.4K
557.9K
248.8K
364.4K
Includes paid and organic posts
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

8. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: CPG
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 2.9K 1.5 11.4
FEB 3.1K 1.5 4.9
MAR 3.1K 2.2 6.3
APR 4.1K 2.2 7.6
MAY 3.9K 2.6 11.9
JUN 3.4K 2.2 7.4
JUL 3.5K 2.4 8.6
AUG 3.3K 2.0 10.5
SEP 3.3K 1.7 6.8
OCT 2.8K 1.6 5.0
NOV 2.8K 4.7 15.7
DEC 2.4K 2.2 9.7
3.4K
3.1K
3.9K
4.1K
3.1K
2.9K
2.4K
2.8K
2.8K
3.3K
3.3K
3.5K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

9. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: CPG
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 2.2K 2.2 6.8
MON 6.8K 1.8 5.0
TUE 5.9K 1.8 8.5
WED 7.8K 2.3 9.8
THU 6.2K 2.0 9.6
FRI 7.0K 2.4 6.1
SAT 2.7K 1.9 23.0
7.0K
6.2K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
7.8K
5.9K
6.8K
2.7K 2.2K
Includes paid and organic posts
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

10. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): CPG
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 4.8K 2.3 9.9
4 AM - 8 AM 2.1K 2.0 8.6
8 AM - 12 PM 3.5K 1.6 4.8
12 PM - 3 PM 6.1K 1.6 11.7
3 PM - 6 PM 9.3K 2.0 7.1
6 PM - 9 PM 8.3K 2.6 8.3
9 PM - 12 AM 4.5K 2.7 12.4
8.3K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
4.5K 4.8K
9.3K
6.1K
2.1K
3.5K
Includes paid and organic posts
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

11. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Media and Entertainment
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 12.4K 7.1 21.6
FEB 13.5K 6.8 18.8
MAR 18.0K 6.8 30.8
APR 18.9K 6.6 22.8
MAY 18.7K 8.7 28.6
JUN 18.6K 8.2 25.6
JUL 17.5K 7.7 23.1
AUG 16.8K 8.1 21.2
SEP 15.7K 6.6 19.9
OCT 19.0K 7.5 24.2
NOV 14.7K 9.5 26.1
DEC 14.5K 8.8 21.0
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
18.6K
18.0K
18.9K
13.5K
18.7K
12.4K
14.5K
14.7K
19.0K
15.7K
16.8K
17.5K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts

12. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Media and Entertainment
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 18.8K 10.3 25.5
MON 29.8K 7.9 23.8
TUE 31.0K 7.1 23.7
WED 29.9K 6.7 22.7
THU 34.0K 7.7 25.2
FRI 33.3K 6.6 18.9
SAT 21.5K 8.1 27.0
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
33.3K
34.0K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
29.9K
29.8K
31.0K
21.5K 18.8K
Includes paid and organic posts

13. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Media and Entertainment
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 33.4K 10.6 26.8
4 AM - 8 AM 6.4K 8.6 29.6
8 AM - 12 PM 10.2K 5.0 11.4
12 PM - 3 PM 26.7K 5.8 17.3
3 PM - 6 PM 39.5K 7.9 26.2
6 PM - 9 PM 43.0K 7.4 23.6
9 PM - 12 AM 39.0K 8.1 21.7
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
43.0K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
39.0K 33.4K
39.5K
26.7K
6.4K
10.2K
Includes paid and organic posts

14. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Financial Services
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 4.4K 1.3 4.4
FEB 4.3K 1.5 4.1
MAR 5.2K 1.4 5.9
APR 6.4K 1.5 10.6
MAY 8.7K 1.9 21.2
JUN 8.0K 1.9 45.6
JUL 8.5K 2.1 24.7
AUG 8.9K 1.5 63.6
SEP 8.5K 2.1 4.3
OCT 9.6K 1.8 5.9
NOV 9.5K 1.6 9.8
DEC 11.8K 1.5 5.5
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
4.3K
8.0K
5.2K
6.4K
8.7K
4.4K
11.8K
9.5K
9.6K
8.5K
8.9K
8.5K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts

15. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Financial Services
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 6.1K 1.4 4.6
MON 15.3K 1.8 44.0
TUE 17.6K 1.8 33.0
WED 14.9K 1.7 8.0
THU 16.6K 1.5 5.8
FRI 17.1K 1.7 13.5
SAT 6.4K 1.5 3.1
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
17.1K
16.6K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
14.9K
15.3K
17.6K
6.4K 6.1K
Includes paid and organic posts

16. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Financial Services
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 15.4K 10.3 24.0
4 AM - 8 AM 8.3K 8.1 25.9
8 AM - 12 PM 7.1K 4.6 10.5
12 PM - 3 PM 12.3K 5.6 15.0
3 PM - 6 PM 17.5K 7.5 20.5
6 PM - 9 PM 18.6K 6.8 20.2
9 PM - 12 AM 14.8K 7.2 17.1
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
Includes paid and organic posts
18.6K
14.8K 15.4K
17.5K
12.3K
8.3K
7.1K

17. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Retail and E-Commerce
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 17.5K 2.8 7.7
FEB 19.5K 2.3 6.6
MAR 20.2K 2.6 7.5
APR 19.2K 2.9 8.1
MAY 23.6K 2.9 12.8
JUN 21.2K 3.8 12.9
JUL 24.0K 2.4 9.5
AUG 28.0K 3.2 12.2
SEP 25.8K 2.5 8.3
OCT 29.4K 3.3 11.5
NOV 33.1K 3.5 13.7
DEC 41.9K 4.1 27.1
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
21.2K
19.5K
20.2K
19.2K
23.6K
17.5K
41.9K
33.1K
29.4K
25.8K
28.0K
24.0K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts

18. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Retail and E-Commerce
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 39.8K 2.1 9.3
MON 41.9K 3.0 10.2
TUE 44.7K 3.0 13.2
WED 45.6K 3.0 11.5
THU 46.2K 4.6 13.0
FRI 48.9K 3.5 13.0
SAT 36.3K 2.5 10.1
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
48.9K
46.2K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
45.6K
41.9K
44.7K
36.3K 39.8K
Includes paid and organic posts

19. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Retail and E-Commerce
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 40.1K 2.9 8.8
4 AM - 8 AM 24.2K 2.2 8.0
8 AM - 12 PM 34.2K 2.3 11.2
12 PM - 3 PM 47.0K 2.6 11.5
3 PM - 6 PM 59.2K 3.8 14.7
6 PM - 9 PM 53.1K 3.4 11.2
9 PM - 12 AM 45.6K 3.3 11.0
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
53.1K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
45.6K 40.1K
59.2K
47.0K
24.2K
34.2K
Includes paid and organic posts

20. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Education and Non-Profit
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 3.0K 2.7 14.4
FEB 3.0K 2.8 35.4
MAR 3.1K 3.0 16.4
APR 2.8K 2.4 11.6
MAY 4.8K 2.9 12.6
JUN 3.5K 2.8 10.3
JUL 3.5K 2.9 11.5
AUG 4.0K 2.8 9.7
SEP 4.1K 2.8 10.8
OCT 4.7K 2.9 11.6
NOV 5.4K 3.1 24.8
DEC 4.6K 2.9 14.0
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
3.5K
3.0K
3.1K
2.8K
4.8K
3.0K
4.6K
5.4K
4.7K
4.1K
4.0K
3.5K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts

21. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Education and Non-Profit
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 4.9K 3.0 14.8
MON 6.7K 2.7 13.3
TUE 7.8K 2.9 18.1
WED 7.7K 2.5 11.0
THU 7.4K 3.1 13.9
FRI 7.9K 2.7 21.8
SAT 4.3K 3.1 15.5
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
7.9K
7.4K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
7.7K
6.7K
7.8K
4.3K 4.9K
Includes paid and organic posts

22. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Education and Non-Profit
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 6.1K 2.6 17.6
4 AM - 8 AM 4.0K 3.6 22.6
8 AM - 12 PM 4.7K 3.4 25.5
12 PM - 3 PM 7.2K 3.0 12.7
3 PM - 6 PM 9.7K 2.8 20.6
6 PM - 9 PM 8.4K 2.5 9.6
9 PM - 12 AM 6.5K 2.7 12.8
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
8.4K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
6.5K 6.1K
9.7K
7.2K
4.0K
4.7K
Includes paid and organic posts

23. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Technology and Manufacturing
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 10.1K 1.8 3.9
FEB 11.7K 1.7 3.7
MAR 15.8K 1.7 3.3
APR 18.2K 3.4 3.4
MAY 24.0K 2.1 4.2
JUN 21.1K 1.8 3.5
JUL 22.9K 1.7 5.0
AUG 25.8K 2.0 4.0
SEP 29.1K 1.4 4.1
OCT 33.6K 1.5 3.6
NOV 31.5K 1.5 4.1
DEC 24.9K 1.7 4.9
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
11.7K
21.1K
15.8K
18.2K
24.0K
10.1K
24.9K
31.5K
33.6K
29.1K
25.8K
22.9K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts

24. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Technology and Manufacturing
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 14.2K 1.8 3.4
MON 43.9K 1.6 4.1
TUE 50.3K 1.7 4.0
WED 53.6K 2.3 3.7
THU 47.7K 2.0 4.0
FRI 43.4K 1.7 4.2
SAT 15.6K 1.9 3.9
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
43.4K
47.7K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
53.6K
43.9K
50.3K
15.6K 14.2K
Includes paid and organic posts

25. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Technology and Manufacturing
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 30.1K 1.4 3.9
4 AM - 8 AM 19.7K 1.7 3.2
8 AM - 12 PM 27.1K 1.9 3.2
12 PM - 3 PM 40.1K 1.7 4.1
3 PM - 6 PM 60.3K 2.3 4.1
6 PM - 9 PM 52.3K 2.0 3.9
9 PM - 12 AM 39.1K 1.8 4.3
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
52.3K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
39.1K 30.1K
60.3K
40.1K
19.7K
27.1K
Includes paid and organic posts

26. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Month: Travel and Hospitality
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
JAN 17.2K 1.6 9.0
FEB 16.6K 1.6 3.8
MAR 19.2K 2.0 4.7
APR 19.8K 2.6 5.9
MAY 25.4K 1.9 7.5
JUN 25.7K 1.8 7.6
JUL 27.0K 1.7 4.6
AUG 26.2K 1.5 4.3
SEP 24.8K 1.6 4.0
OCT 26.7K 1.7 5.0
NOV 28.6K 1.6 5.2
DEC 29.8K 1.5 5.5
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
25.7K
16.6K
19.2K
19.8K
25.4K
17.2K
29.8K
28.6K
26.7K
24.8K
26.2K
27.0K
Tweets Sent by Month
Includes paid and organic posts

27. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Day of Week: Travel and Hospitality
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
SUN 26.5K 2.1 5.4
MON 40.4K 1.6 6.2
TUE 46.2K 1.7 4.4
WED 46.0K 1.6 5.2
THU 47.1K 1.8 6.7
FRI 44.3K 1.8 5.7
SAT 36.5K 1.5 5.4
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
44.3K
47.1K
Tweets Sent by Day of Week
46.0K
40.4K
46.2K
36.5K
26.5K
Includes paid and organic posts

28. Twitter Engagement Rates per Tweet by Time of Day (CST): Travel and Hospitality
Tweets Sent Avg Replies Avg Retweets
12 AM - 4 AM 50.9K 1.6 7.3
4 AM - 8 AM 36.5K 1.7 4.9
8 AM - 12 PM 40.0K 2.3 5.7
12 PM - 3 PM 34.7K 1.7 4.5
3 PM - 6 PM 47.2K 1.7 5.3
6 PM - 9 PM 40.7K 1.8 6.1
9 PM - 12 AM 36.9K 1.6 7.0
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter
40.7K
36.9K
Tweets Sent by Time of Day
50.9K
47.2K
34.7K
36.5K
40.0K
Includes paid and organic posts

29. Recommendations
• Incorporate more photo tweets into your
Twitter strategy for increased engagement.
• Designate “on-call” Twitter managers to
monitor your brand’s account at all hours.
Engagement with your customers doesn’t
just occur from 9 – 5.
• Align your Twitter strategy with when your
industry is most engaged. Refer to the
previous charts to see when your specific
industry has the most retweets and replies.
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

30. About the Data
• We extracted Twitter data from more than 3.6 million Twitter messages published in
2013, combining both paid and organic posts. We added further social insights from
the 2014 State of Marketing report and third-party studies as noted.
• Graphs combining overall industry data include these industries: Advertising and
Consulting; Automotive; Clothing and Fashion; Consumer Packaged Goods; Media
and Entertainment; Financial Services; Food and Beverage; Retail and eCommerce;
Health and Beauty; Education and Non-Profit; Publishing; Sports; Technology and
Manufacturing; Telecommunications; and Travel and Leisure.
• When reviewing pie-style charts in this report, note that numerical labels on pie
charts show rounded values, and pie slices represent total values.
Social Engagement Benchmark Report for Twitter

31. Want more?
Download the full report
at exacttarget.com/benchmark-2014/
social-engagement-tw