Not 5%. Not 3%. Not even 1%.

A big fat 0% of people say they would pay for Twitter. (I hope the founders’ moms would, and they were just lost in the rounding.)

That’s an amazing statistic from USC’s Annenberg School that reveals a lot about the average consumer’s views of the micro-blogging service.

Now, you can argue that the majority of Americans are unwilling to pay for most Internet services or content. But, there’s often a modest percentage that says they would pay a reasonable fee. And, there’s usually a somewhat larger percentage that says they would pay a very small fee for most things on the web.

Not for Twitter.

This perceived lack of value makes me wonder what the future holds for the “hottest” social media service. Is current Twitter usage based on curiosity, which will fade with time? Will Twitter become like Second Life---loved by a hardcore group of users, and forgotten by the average consumer? Or will consumers continue to flock to the service as long as it is free?

If you need help figuring out what role social media tactics should play in your marketing plan, please give us a call at 925-417-2253. We’re experts at developing strategically sound marketing plans with marketing tactics that drive sales.