Twitter has announced the launch of keyword targeting in timelines as a new feature for its ad platform. It is rolling out today in all languages and markets (where Twitter Ads are supported).
The feature is available in the full Twitter Ads user interface, as well as through the Ads API. It lets advertisers reach users based on the keywords in recent tweets, as well as the tweets with which they have recently engaged.
“Advertising on Twitter works well because the experience is built into the fabric of the product: a Promoted Tweet, for instance, is simply a Tweet targeted using the interest graph formed from public user signals like follows,” writes Twitter Revenue product manager Nipoon Malhotra in a blog post. “Until today, the content of Tweets has only been one factor among many in shaping the interest graph. Today, it becomes a first-class citizen.”
“This is an important new capability – especially for those advertisers looking for signals of intent – because it lets marketers reach users at the right moment, in the right context,” says Malhotra. “For example: let’s say a user tweets about enjoying the latest album from their favorite band, and it so happens that band is due to play a concert at a local venue. That venue could now run a geotargeted campaign using keywords for that band with a Tweet containing a link to buy the tickets. That way, the user who tweeted about the new album may soon see that Promoted Tweet in their timeline letting them know tickets are for sale in their area.”
Twitter says users won’t notice any difference in their own Twitter experience. In other words, just because there’s a new targeting capability, users won’t start seeing more ads crammed into their timelines.