Twitter Ads 101: Prepping for Success

Leveraging Twitter for your business promotion is indeed an enticing concept, especially when you consider the platform’s enormous multi-million user base. In 2021, Twitter celebrated its 15th anniversary, and its user base keeps expanding with an average annual increment of 56 million users, making it a marketer’s paradise for advertising opportunities. There’s no denying that Twitter advertising holds great promise and effectiveness. However, it is certainly not as straightforward as it appears. In this article, we’ll delve into some of the challenges, snags, and essential preparatory steps for advertising on this platform.

Rules and Limits

Twitter is diligent about maintaining its reputation, thus ensuring strict compliance with Twitter Ads guidelines while reviewing advertising accounts.

Crucial Factors to Bear in Mind:

• Brand new accounts are not eligible for ads. The evaluation of an account hinges on basic profile data, published content, history of ad campaigns, and the overall engagement with this social platform.
• A user intending to advertise should have a public, active account replete with public tweets.
• Prior to submitting an account for checks, it’s crucial to have the username and bio sections completed. In addition, profile and cover photos are mandatory.
• The URL that’s supplied must coincide with the one utilized in the advertisement.
• Accounts that have been suspended or deactivated are barred from placing ads.
• A distinct set of rules is in place for URLs used in ads. Specifically, the URL provided must avoid directing to a defunct page, generating pop-ups, or launching content in another application.
• Concerning the content and merchandise being promoted, besides the universal prohibitions, there exist extra limitations targeting specific countries and regions.

These, in our view, are merely a few essential guidelines of the system. For a more comprehensive understanding of the ad-related terms and conditions, kindly head over to the Twitter Ads policy webpage. Once your account is appropriately set up, you can proceed to devise ads.

How is the ad account set up?

The advertising account structure on Twitter is user-friendly and easily distinguishable with three primary levels: campaigns, ad groups, and ads. It is crucial to decide on a target, establish a budget, determine a bidding approach, and choose audience preferences before venturing into ad creation.

Post the completion of ad creation, they are forwarded for moderation, a process that generally winds up within 24 hours. Our separate article* goes into the nitty-gritty of the Twitter advertising account and describes the setup process in a comprehensive step-by-step manner.

Twitter Audiences by the Numbers

With over 330 million unique accounts worldwide, Twitter is a diverse platform that offers numerous opportunities for understanding and engaging with your audience. Insightful patterns exist that can help clarify your audience’s identity and how to best interact with them on this platform. Predominantly, Twitter users are from the United States and Japan, with the United Kingdom taking third place. Surprisingly, Twitter tops the chart as the favorite social network in Japan.

A quick overview of Twitter’s audience demographics reveals:

• Men make up 70% of Twitter’s user base, women constitute the remaining 30%.
• Twitter’s most active crowd are those within the age range of 25-34.
• A majority of approximately 59% of users frequent the site to keep abreast of latest news.

The average number of followers per Twitter account is notable, standing at 707.

Turning to the advertising arena on the platform, we find intriguing statistics:

• An impressive 82% of B2B marketers utilize Twitter as a vehicle for their content marketing strategies.
• Video ads command the highest popularity both among marketers and users on the platform, primarily because they are cost-effective. Interestingly, the number of video views escalated by a remarkable 62% from 2019 to 2020.
• Approximately 5.8% of the global population above the age of 13 has been exposed to advertisements on Twitter.

Summarily, advertising on Twitter may seem complex and daunting at first glance but proves to be extremely effective once you’ve mastered it. It necessitates close attention, meticulous preparation, and detailed data analysis. But the rewards are worth the effort, marking Twitter as a platform you should consider for promoting your brand, product, or service.