Twitter is scrapping its minimum advertising budgets, opening up far more to SMEs. For interested beginners and more advanced users alike, here are the basics and some guidance on Twitter’s various ad formats and targeting options.
When people talk about Twitter, it is usually not about marketing. It is about Poldi’s selfie in his #Strassenkicker streetwear. Or the row between Boris Becker and Oliver Pocher. Twitter as a celebrity playground or a mouthpiece for self-appointed critics: yes, that.
But apart from a few international brands that can buy huge amounts of attention, you rarely hear about truly successful, attention-grabbing ad campaigns in which Twitter played a central role. That is because only now, more than five years after its launch in Germany, has Twitter managed to make its self-service platform available here too.
Only now can SMEs (and larger companies with modest budgets) book ads directly. Previously, advertisers only got a contact person once they committed a minimum budget of EUR 15,000 for the first three months. For most German marketers, Twitter has therefore been like a black hole: you know it exists, but you have never got very close to it. Time for that to change.
At the start of 2010, Twitter had around 20 million users outside the US. By the end of 2013, that figure had grown to 170 million. The smartphone boom is keeping the trend going. Four out of five tweets are already sent from mobile devices. Forecasts predict a tenfold increase in mobile data volume over the coming years, and the short messaging service will benefit from that too. Its strong position in this growth area is now putting Twitter in the spotlight, including in direct comparison with Facebook.
Twitter has far fewer users in Germany than Facebook, but it is stronger in the “professional” space. Managers, scientists, journalists and other very well-connected influencers make Twitter contacts far more valuable than those on Facebook. Facebook also restricts the organic reach of business pages. Often only 2 to 3 percent of “fans” see a Facebook page’s posts. Twitter does not (yet) put any artificial barriers in place.
Twitter advertising is predictable
Twitter charges on a performance basis. The common ad formats on Twitter only cost money when there is an interaction. Let us look at the two most common formats: the Sponsored Tweet and the Sponsored Account.
- A Sponsored Tweet is a paid tweet. Each user only ever sees one Sponsored Tweet at a time, to maximise attention. Like any normal tweet, these ads can be retweeted, favourited and replied to. The advertiser pays for the sponsored message based on performance, so only when another user interacts with it. Twitter defines “interaction” very generously, though. A click on a hashtag in the tweet counts as an interaction, just like expanding the post itself. So the ad copy should be written to trigger as many of the desired interactions as possible. The key words here: tease and call to action.
- Sponsored Account: Twitter recommends that users follow the promoted profile. Costs arise when the user becomes a follower. Predefined clusters are available as target audiences. For example, you can specifically target followers of similar Twitter accounts, such as those of competitors.
With both formats, you set a campaign budget. Once it is used up, the campaign stops automatically, unless you decide to invest additional budget. Demand sets the prices: the hashtags, users and audiences most sought after by advertisers are the most expensive. While you are still selecting your target audience, the booking tool already gives you a first estimate of the price per interaction or per follower.
Hashtags and other targeting options
Despite all the new developments in Twitter advertising, keyword targeting remains a highlight, especially compared with other social media channels. Unlike on Facebook, Twitter users search by keywords and hashtags, for example for specific topics, TV ads or events.
There are also other exciting targeting options.
- A simple and obvious strategy is to run ads aimed at your own followers. After all, this audience is already “warmed up”. You can also target followers of profiles on related topics. Targeting by geography or by topic is possible too, much as on Facebook.
- In countries where a larger share of people use Twitter, campaign targeting is already very popular. Print, TV or display campaigns carry hashtags that are also built into Twitter ads running at the same time. That way, people looking for more information find it faster.
- Device targeting is also possible. You can target only users of a particular smartphone brand or a particular operating system. Anyone marketing apps will appreciate this option.
Twitter impresses not only with extensive targeting but with equally extensive tracking. Live campaigns can be analysed in detail. Page visits, download figures for promoted apps and even purchases made through the promoted app: these and other KPIs are easy to measure, provided the landing page has the right pixels in place.
Twitter ads: who are they for?
In principle, Twitter is a channel for everyone. Thanks to its extensive targeting options, even niche audiences are within reach. Some professions are surprisingly well represented and well connected on Twitter. Media professionals and IT specialists lead the way, of course. But photographers, nurses and scientists are also flying the flag on Twitter. Audience analyses and small test campaigns will tell you what the specific potential is.
Before a company invests in advertising, though, it needs to understand that Twitter is an interactive platform. Users interact with paid tweets just as they do with organic ones. Social media experience and qualified staff with enough capacity are a must. If feedback goes unanswered, your reputation can suffer.
Once these conditions are in place, a wide field of promising scenarios opens up.
- One tried and tested use is Twitter as a second screen. A TV programme or TV ad shares a hashtag that viewers can use to join an ongoing conversation on Twitter, for example to give feedback or earn incentives. With this TV ad targeting, advertisers extend TV campaigns onto the web and increase advertising pressure.
- With hashtags, any company (or organisation) can join ongoing discussions and turn the attention it gains into leads, followers or other currencies. Take the physiotherapist offering help with #backpain. Or the issuer with the perfect remedy for today’s low #interestrates. The only limit is your creativity.
- Software providers can target easily identifiable audiences such as students or IT specialists directly to generate leads. Local retailers can use regional targeting to offer incentives for store visits. Non-profit organisations can work with a sponsor to encourage Twitter users to share their message (for example 10 cents per retweet).
- Smart use of data makes far more precise and effective campaigns possible. Tailored Audiences, Twitter’s equivalent of Facebook’s Custom Audiences, open up a wide range of remarketing options.
Twitter offers creative and bold advertisers enormous potential. And now that the booking restrictions have gone, there are no more excuses.
