Why Users’ First Online Activity Each Morning Is Important
What site you go to after waking up says a lot

29 July 2010, Global

While some users can’t manage to get out of bed in the morning without checking Facebook or Twitter, they are not yet the norm, even in a world saturated in social media.

But those who do head to social sites first thing show different behaviors throughout the day when it comes to sharing content with friends and family.

A study from e-mail marketing service ExactTarget found that Internet users who checked Facebook first thing in the morning were about equally likely to share online information either via the social networking giant or through the more traditional method of e-mail. Web users whose priority was on e-mail in the morning heavily favored that medium for sharing of all kinds, and were significantly less likely than their Facebook-loving counterparts to post information to their Facebook page.

 

Facebook-favorers were also more likely to share information through other social means, such as forums and discussion groups, Twitter and their own blog, as well as to share information on deal or coupon sites.

“Consumers who check email first tend to be more task-oriented, subscribe to more emails and interact with brands across email and social media to obtain deals, promotions or new product information,” said Morgan Stewart, principal of ExactTarget’s research and education group, in a statement. “This stands in stark contrast to people who initially check Facebook, who tend to draw firmer, more segregated boundaries and become fans of brands for entertainment purposes or to show support for a company or product.”

Users with a preference for Facebook also had different attitudes about why they might share contact with people they knew. Asked whether sharing information showed they cared about the recipient, the plurality of respondents in both the e-mail and the Facebook groups were neutral on the subject. But Facebook-lovers were 9 percentage points more likely to say yes (29%) and e-mail-favorers more apt to disagree (34%).

Overall, e-mail was the overwhelming favorite for Web users’ first online visit of the day, followed by a search engine or portal site. Slightly more than one in 10 users hit Facebook first.

 

ExactTarget’s report suggested both e-mail and social marketers should tailor their messages based on where recipients would most like to receive information and what channel would most encourage to pass that information on.

 

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