Twitter users who follow brands are more likely to buy from those brands, and more likely recommend those brands to friends, according to a study by Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey that examines Twitter users and brand interactions.  Out of Twitter users who follow brands, half of them are more likely to buy products from those brands, with males (55%) more likely to do so than females (45%).  The majority – 6 out of 10 – brand followers on Twitter are likely to recommend a few (42%) or many (18%) of those brands to friends.

Who are these brand followers?  Why and how do they interact with brands via Twitter?

• Just 21% of Twitter users follow brands on Twitter
• Of those followers, the vast majority – 79% – follow fewer than 10 brands
• Most stick with their brand – just 13% of brand followers have “un-followed” a brand, while most – 75% – have never done so
• Brand followers on Twitter are a younger crowd: 26% of Twitter users under age 35 follow brands, compared with 17% of those age 35-49, and 13% of those age 50+
• Reasons for following brands include: already a customer (64%), to receive brand info first (61%), for discounts and promotions (48%), for exclusive content (36%)
• Followers are far more likely to read brand posts (84%) than to tweet about the brand (23%)

What does the future hold for brands on Twitter?

Twitter is still growing rapidly – nearly half (47%) of Twitter users have been tweeting for less than one year.  Twitter users are getting more active with brands on the site, with one-third (33%) interacting with brands more this year than last year, and the majority (57%) interacting at the same level as last year. Not only are men more likely to purchase from brands they follow on Twitter, but they are also increasing their rate of brand interaction (38%) more than women (27%).

The study is based on survey of 1,491 US consumers ages 18 and older, conduct via the Research Now online panel by Chadwick Martin Bailey with Constant Contact, January 2011.