It’s been around since 2009, so if you haven’t made time to get acquainted with Hunch, it’s high time you did.
Working off of a core algorithm that was developed by MIT computer scientists, Hunch uses users’ likes and interests to make informed suggestions about what a given user will like. As users give Hunch more feedback, it becomes smarter about those users’ preferences. Sure, this is great for the casual user looking for new likes, but it’s hardly groundbreaking.
Right?
It turns out that Hunch has another trick up its sleeve. Its Twitter followers analyzer can give most brands, celebrities and popular tweeters a fun and revealing look at their Twitter fanbase. It works best with accounts that have over 1,000 followers, but we tested it with a 700-follower account and still saw results.
Of course, the results only apply to the majority of your Twitter followers – and, let’s face it, there are probably many fans, customers, etc. that aren’t on Twitter – but they can offer some valuable insight.
A look at Hilton Hotels’ (@HiltonOnline) followers reveals that the majority pamper themselves regularly, with trips to the manicurist, salon and masseuse, and they are planners, not procrastinators. If Hilton used Hunch and discovered this information, they may decide to adjust their social media marketing strategy (perhaps emphasizing savings from booking in advance), or they may receive confirmation that their strategy is in keeping with their followers’ tastes.
So, what can Hunch’s Twitter analyzer do for your brand? Here are a few things to take note of if you analyze your followers:
Technology they own – Although the questions and answers change depending on what Twitter user you’re evaluating, there are several questions that can give you a good idea of your followers’ tech habits. For instance, our own followers here at lonelybrand (@lonelybrand) frequently cite their laptops, mobile devices and PDAs as their must-have and go-to devices. This may not seem like much information, but it says a lot about what kind of medium will be most effective in reaching them – in our case, it’s digital content shared through social media.
Social media presence – There are also a few questions that deal with followers’ social media presence. They might ask about using foursquare, Facebook or ask about how often that person tweets. lonelybrand followers, for instance, tweet between five and 15 times a day. This tells us that there is a very good chance that they will see our tweets throughout the day, making Twitter a good social engagement tool for us. If your followers appear to prefer one social network over another, you can use this information to adjust your social media marketing strategy accordingly.
Disposable income range – No one question from Hunch will give you this information, but it is something you can gather from a number of questions and their answers. In the case of Hilton Hotels, most followers spent about $400 for one night at a hotel during a personal trip. Obviously, with Hilton followers, the amount of disposable income they have is pretty high. Depending on the product or service you offer, the amount of disposable income your followers have may affect the sales, promotions or pricing of your brand in the future.
Have you used Hunch to take a closer look at your followers? What information did you gain and how did it affect your marketing approach? Find us on Twitter and let us know! And get all the details on the essential social marketing tools.
