Ustream.tv Hits One Million Followers on Twitter

Online video and lifestreaming service Ustream.tv just hit the 1,000,000 follower mark on their Twitter.com/ustream account.

Now, normally we wouldn’t give a twitter account that hits 1,000,000 followers a second look (except maybe the Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN Twitter race to 1,000,000), but this time it’s different. Ustream.tv is one of only a handful of brands that has reached this milestone and it’s a great example of how they have leveraged social media and how social media leverages them to grow their company.

Shari Foldes, a member of the marketing team at Ustream, says:

“…Ustream is the largest live streaming site on Twitter by far, one of the only internet companies to break 1 million, and Ustream generates significant traffic from Twitter–more than any other source (including Google). Ustream utilizes Twitter to generate interest for immediate, breaking streams. For example, during the Michael Jackson memorial service in July, which broke Ustream traffic records, the link to the Ustream channel that was tweeted was clicked more than 80,000 times. Our 1+ million followers allows for the virality of mainstream live events, including Michael Jackson’s memorial service, the Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and other events including CBS car chases, puppies and more.”

With the popularity of video sites on the internet and how a live streaming service compliments the immediacy of social media and Twitter in particular, it’s no surprise Ustream is flourishing on Twitter. As well as how Ustream uses twitter to promote mainstream celebrities and events, the celebs themselves are using it to promote themselves. If Miley Cyrus turns on her webcam and fires up the Ustream broadcaster, she can send a tweet directly from there to her 1.66 million followers and instantly have 10’s of 1000’s of people click to watch her and interact with her over at Ustream, generating a ton of traffic for the site.

Many companies fail miserably at social media, but they could be learning a lot by watching what Ustream is doing. They’re one of the only companies out there that has effectively closed the loop of social media, by truly connecting users across multiple platforms and multiple forms of online media.