Twitter is gearing up for an imminent rollout of a new advertising feature that will be more visible to everyday users than ever before. The micro-blogging platform is pushing its growing suite of promoted products to further increase advertising revenue. According to the chatter coming out of this year’s Cannes Lions Festival, an annual global shindig for the communications industry, Twitter plans to stream ads in a user’s timeline. Twitter is calling the new advertising product “Promoted Tweets.” Although promoted tweets were actually introduced last year, Twitter kept them away from users’ streams. Now you didn’t think your very own Twitter stream would stay spam-free for very long, did you?
Watch Out for Those “Sticky” Promoted Tweets
Twitter’s move into tweet timelines should come as no surprise to account holders. And if Twitter does it right, by targeting paid-for promoted tweets to individual interests, Twitter will make money and so will businesses. When promoted tweets first appeared at the top of search results, Twitter warned they would soon find their way in timelines. The micro-blogging company is expected to start its expanded promoted tweets service in about eight-weeks. In addition, the ads would most likely be “sticky,” so that they would remain at the top of a Twitter stream.
Remember the quickly disposed of iPhone app dubbed Quick Bar? That was sticky too, and was universally hated. Mashable points out that users would probably have more tolerance for Internet ads. “If that sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It’s the same idea that Twitter had for its iPhone app — the widely reviled Quick Bar, rapidly dubbed the Dick Bar in honor of CEO Dick Costolo. Twitter seems to be betting that we’ll find a Quick Bar much less intrusive on the web — which, given the amount of advertising we’re subjected to on the average page, may be a pretty safe bet.”
Up Next: Targeted Deals, Enhanced Profile Pages and Automated Tweets
Promoted Tweets in a users’ timeline is just the beginning. If Twitter is to survive in the long term, it must establish a successful revenue model. With over 190 million users, the micro-blogging platform is perfectly positioned to rake in the advertising dollars. Last year, Twitter earned $45 million and is forecasting earnings of $100 million for 2011. However, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to Facebook’s advertising revenue of $3.5 billion.
The company’s menu of promoted products now includes, promoted tweets, promoted trends, promoted accounts and promoted search results. Next on the horizon, are enhanced paid-for profile pages, targeted deals and coupons, and tools for advertisers to schedule automated promoted tweets.
Personalize or Perish
By all accounts, Twitter does not plan to blast its users with spammy, flashing, annoying tweets that advertise products no one wants. When Twitter launched its advertising product suite last year, it slowly introduced its paid-for services on users’ account pages, and put them through a trial run on third-party applications, such as HootSuite. After a few “tweaks,” Twitter is ready to monetize its popular social networking platform in a big way, but with a personal touch. Users may more readilly accept Twitter’s new advertising model, if there is something in it for them. A movie buff would welcome Netflix deals. And a gadget guru wouldn’t complain if a promoted tweet announced the availability of a new 4G tablet device, for example.
Indeed, Twitter seems to recognize targeted, personalized paid-for tweets are the path to success. The young company views its revenue plan as a means to connect the right advertisers to the right users. “Thanks to our growing engineering and sales teams, you can look forward to more innovative ways to connect people with their favorite brands and interests, “ wrote Twitter on its blog last year.
