It’s a fact — brands have been on Twitter since day one. They use the platform to connect with consumers in meaningful ways, offering everything from special discounts and exclusive content to new product information. But what if your Tweet is only relevant for a subset of your followers? What if you want to make an offer just to local Twitter users? Until last year it had been impractical to send these kinds of highly tailored Tweets, since there was no way to reach people geo-targeted without also reaching followers further afield who can’t take advantage of your offer/tweet.
Targeted Tweets, or promoted posts as they have become known are an enhancement that enables brands to reach specific audiences on Twitter without first sending a Tweet to all followers. Now global brands that have different launch dates for several countries can send tailored messages at different times, customised for the users in each country. Mobile app providers who only want to reach customers on one device can do so without also sending the message to desktop users.
Advertisers can compose targeted Tweets using the newly enhanced Tweet box and as with all Promoted Tweets, advertisers only pay when users engage with it, and Tweets that generate the most engagement are likely to appear more often. Simply put, advertisers are rewarded for messages that resonate with audiences.
“Promoted Tweets are regular Tweets but with the added bonus of reaching both current and potential followers you target.”
When it comes to targeting, promoted posts can drill down a fair distance, within reason, and offer a great deal of variety when targeting and this isn’t just geographically. All things aside here are more methods to enhance your reach…
- Target by keywords in Tweets
Tweets send important signals about what users are experiencing in the moment – their thoughts, feelings, wants and needs. Reach users at the right moment, in the right context, by targeting keywords in timeline.
- Target by interests and gender
We know where to find the guys, gals, fashionistas, gamers, foodies, activists, and whoever else you might want to reach.
- Target by geography
Getting local? Moving to a new market? Target by country or metro area so people in the right places see your message.
- Target by device
Target specific mobile or desktop devices to catch up with people on-the-go or from the comfort of their living rooms.
- Target by similarity to existing followers
Your followers already love you. We’ll help you find more just like them.
- You can easily track progress of your ads
We’ve equipped Twitter Ads with great tools to help you analyse your Twitter activity, from followers to engagement.
Benefits of a promoted post
- Get your most important Tweets in front of the right people
- Target Twitter users by keywords in timeline, interest, geography and device
- Get guidance on how to set up, manage and optimise your campaigns with self-service tools
- Work with a Twitter Ads specialist to design custom campaign plans
From my experience I think the benefits of a promoted post is hugely dependent on the product or service on offer, its place in the market, the time of going to market and the whole strategy behind the post.
A standalone post may be vastly ineffective, but as part of a larger strategy or launch plan, a promoted post may drive new audiences from Twitter.
If you are a digitally orientated brand with a good web presence, then a promoted post may be the answer to reaching people you may not elsewhere, but as a newly established brand or online unit, I would recommend money spent better elsewhere building up a presence and investing in the wider catchment of the web before opting to take on Twitter marketing as it can be costly in the long run. Ensure the promoted post is driving site visits, capturing data and prompting a direct response. Not forgetting to track and tweak along the way.
