Earlier this year, we talked about Twitter launching a new way to advertise through Promoted Tweets. This system, which went into effect in April, placed individual posts in your stream according to searches that you plugged in, as well as your individual interests. Advertisers were able to suggest their tweets to readers who were logged in and looking at similar content. Twitter matched user interest to related tweets through a nine-point system of gauging relevance and resonance. Since then, this system has not only been tweaked and upgraded, but two new options also arose.
In June, Twitter updated the Promoted Tweets system with Promoted Trends. In the Trending Topics area, popular categories are listed in accordance with topics you’ve searched and clicked—as well as what’s gaining attention all across the Twittersphere. But now, businesses can pay to have their own posts show up (explicitly labeled as “promoted”) on your Twitter homepage. For example, when Toy Story 3 came out around this same time, posts about the movie showed up as one consolidated Promoted Trend. These don’t flow through your stream like regular or sponsored tweets, but have their own box that is clearly labeled to let you know that you’re seeing sponsored content.
In October, Twitter added Promoted Accounts to its cache of offerings. This latest development works much like the first two. Instead of sliding tweets into your stream or highlighting one certain topic on your homepage, this option tells you which accounts you might want to follow. For example, if you’re a Florida user who loves talking about basketball in your tweets, the website might suggest that you follow the Miami Heat on Twitter (once the team has agreed to pay for this suggestion, of course). Users can find accounts that are of interest to them while advertisers can connect with people who already hear what they want to say. Once you’re following the account by choice, their tweets show up organically in your stream (rather than as a Promoted Tweet). It’s more efficient than forcing advertisements into a stream–and less likely to get overlooked.
Interested in using Twitter to promote your business? Let us help you attain a greater online presence with this powerful marketing tool. We can also discuss how to tie Twitter into your existing website, blog and social media marketing endeavors.