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Tag: Twitter Ads

  • Twitter Launches New Interest-Based Ad Targeting

    Twitter announced the launch of some new interest-based targeting for advertisers today. Those using Twitter’s Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts can start targeting campaigns based on interests of their choosing.

    There are over 350 interest categories available to advertisers. They came in a two-level hierarchy. For example, under the first-level category Movies and Television, you can find sub-categories like Action and Adventure, Horror, Comedy, etc.

    Twitter interest targeting

    “By targeting people’s topical interests, you will be able to connect with a greater number of users and deliver tailored messages to people who are more likely to engage with your Tweets,” says Twitter product management director Kevin Weil. “When people discover offers and messages about the things they care about on Twitter, it’s good for both marketers and users.”

    Advertisers can also specify certain usernames that are relevant to the campaign.

    “Custom segments let you reach users with similar interests to that @​username’s followers; they do not let you specifically target the followers of that @​username,” explains Weil. “If you’re promoting your indie band’s next tour, you can create a custom audience by adding @​usernames of related bands, thus targeting users with the same taste in music. This new feature will help you reach beyond your followers and users with similar interests, and target the most relevant audience for your campaign.”

    Twitter says that in testing, it has seen significantly increased audience reach for advertisers, and they’re seeing high engagement rates “across the board”.

    In addition to the new targeting features, Twitter also announced that ti is lowering the minimum bid for all auctions to just a penny.

    This ad news is the second major business-oriented announcement we’ve seen from Twitter this week. On Wednesday, the company announced the launch of the Certified Product Program.

  • Could Twitter be Acquired by Google in Light of Facebook IPO Fallout?

    Could Twitter be acquired by Google? It seems like a rather outlandish idea, but thanks to the recent flop by Facebook in their efforts to go public, smaller internet companies like Twitter may find acquisition by an established giant like Google to be an attractive offer. In fact, Google’s mergers and acquisition team has been mulling over the idea for some time.

    While Twitter may not be ready to go public in its current capacity, it doesn’t look to be far off either. On the other hand, the Facebook IPO should be a sharp reminder that success is not only in the eye of the beholder. According to Business Insider, both parties, Twitter and Google, may be open to the idea of an acquisition.

    Twitter has some serious work left to do with securing ad revenues and illustrating performance before it can sell itself to shareholders. So maybe the safety of Google would be a better choice, and a faster route to success. Business Insider actually raises some very pertinent arguments in their coverage on the subject, here’s how they summarized the whole affair:

    * It’s becoming obvious that Twitter’s business model will be ads in users Twitter streams, targeted through contextual matching – something that Google is better at than anybody.

    * Twitter cofounder and executive chairman Jack Dorsey is spending less time at the company again, prefering to work on his other company, Square. That leaves a professional, non-founding CEO Dick Costolo in charge – one who has already sold a company to Google once in his career. Why wouldn’t he do it again?

    * Google organizes the Web for desktops, through pull. Twitter organizes the Web for mobile, through push. The Internet will be mostly mobile by the end of the decade.

    We’ll have to wait to see if there’s any substance to this speculation, but it would make a great deal of sense, and be a powerful partnership, if Twitter were to be acquired by Google. If both parties are willing, it could just be a matter of time and logistics.

  • Twitter Ads Move to Detroit: GM, Ford, & Chrysler Get New Neighbors

    Twitter Ads Move to Detroit: GM, Ford, & Chrysler Get New Neighbors

    The Contra Costa Times reports that Twitter is setting up a new advertising office in Detroit. There’s no doubt as to the reason for the addition; to get close to the advertising budgets of the big 3 auto makers. Promoted tweets are the next big thing and Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler can only benefit from the coverage.

    Social network marketing is vital to the success of the big 3, if you remember, Ford was one of the first to jump on Facebook’s high-dollar log-off ads. The city of Detroit has a less than booming economy, but there’s still gold there from the automakers.

    The addition of Twitter comes at a time when the city has just decided to raise corporate income taxes. In fact, the city council approved a measure to double the tax from 1% to 2 in order to generate more revenue.

    Still, it’s good news for a city who has been facing huge job loss, rising crime rates, and bankruptcy for decades. Profits for the big 3 have also been on the rise in recent years. Perhaps a presence from Twitter will also spur the local economy. You can read more about the addition of Twitter in Detroit by following the Contra Costa Times link.

  • Online Ads: Twitter Followers More Likely to Buy

    Exacttarget.com has released a new study which reveals the fickle behavior of online consumers. The report was an attempt to nail down United Kingdom shoppers buying behavior by demographic, but the results only reinforced a well known truth; consumers behavior is as unique as the products they buy.

    With the ever increasing advertising presence on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the study examined how consumers were interacting and responding to the promotions. Surprisingly they found that only about 7% of users actually “followed” a brand on Twitter. This is a relatively minuscule number compared to the 45% who claimed they “liked” a brand on Facebook.

    While these numbers are worlds apart, there’s more going on here when it comes to actually purchasing a product. Of those in the study, almost a third of users were more likely to buy after “”following” a brand on Twitter. In contrast, less than a quarter of Facebook users purchased after “liking” a brand on the social platform.

    The bad news for both media platform: email is still outperforming them. Over 46% of consumers targeted by email ad campaigns purchased after receiving the ads. It appears social platforms still have some hurdles to clear before they can achieve a competitive success in consumer marketing.

    Still, advertising on these platforms is relatively new. With the heavy traffic on both Twitter and Facebook, I have no doubt they are real competitors.

    Tim Kopp, CMO at ExactTarget comments on the findings:

    “UK consumers expect more from brands than ever before as they turn to email, Facebook and Twitter for exclusive content, special offers and unique experiences,”

    “Agile marketers who can drive interaction across online channels and build consumer engagement have a clear advantage, and our Subscribers, Fans and Followers research provides the insight they need to understand what consumers expect.”

    If you’re in marketing, or you merely seek to understand the complex behavior of consumers in an online marketplace, you need to read this report. It’s not a definitive guide by any means, but it will help you understand a bit more about what motivates consumers to take action.

  • Twitter Ad Performance: How Big Can Twitter Get?

    Peter Fenton, a general partner at Benchmark Capital and member of the Twitter Inc. board speaks about social network platforms and their value to investors. He addresses specifically the potential of Twitter ads and how promoted tweets can have a greater impact than many conventional forms of advertising.

    He wants people to realize that Twitter is a discovery engine that gets you closer and more connected to the people and information you’re interested in. The future growth of Twitter will revolve more around this view of the social platform. Where early adopters may have used it primarily to share, the research aspects and promoted tweets are going to be instrumental for the growth and evolution of Twitter.

    The Washington Post and Bloomberg provide this great interview with Fenton where he expresses his view on what Twitter is and what it has the potential to become. He also differentiates the various social platforms based on their utilitarian value. It’s a really informative interview. If you plan on investing in social networking, this is a must-see!

    Check it out: