Calling out all small business advertisers, Twitter wants you. Yes, you. This is something that the best Internet marketing company should know… and eventually do.
According to a report from the Internet Retailer, the microblogging site has announced the launch of its first self-service ad format called Promoted Products. This new feature enables marketers to buy and target ads on their own. Previously, all Twitter ad formats required marketers and e-commerce merchants to work with someone from the Twitter sales team.
Quoted in the report was a blog post from Twitter which explained the function of the new feature. With Promoted Products, small business will soon be able to “build a larger base of engaged followers by promoting their accounts.” The new feature also allows promotions and messages to feature more prominently in customers’ timelines and brings in new customers by promoting tweets.
In essence, Promoted Products lets you, the small business owner, pay Twitter for a message or a tweet targeted towards a customer. These paid tweets appear like any other tweets on the customer’s timeline. However, a note below the message highlights the fact that it is sponsored.
This new Twitter advertising feature brings the microblogging site closer to Facebook’s own ad program wherein marketers can buy ad formats and target on their own. Other ad formats require collaboration with a Facebook salesperson.
For now, only US-based American Express cardholders and merchants (who accept American Express cards) can buy these ads. For its part, the credit card company will give the first 10,000 ad buyers a $100 credit to place ads on promoted tweets and accounts. As the year progresses, Twitter will open up Promoted Products to all e-commerce merchants.
With an Internet marketing landscape filled with companies claiming to be the best Internet marketing company, this new Twitter feature will surely raise the stakes and bring out the best in online marketers.