How To Run A Twitter Advertisement Campaign

Twitter lets you create objective based ad campaigns in order to reach the right people at the right time. Whether you want to stay local or reach a global audience, Twitter is the perfect platform for your advertising needs. You have the power to choose locations and languages most relevant to your target audience.

This guide will help you to learn how to create and optimize ad campaigns on Twitter to achieve a greater ROI.

Campaign Objectives

Before we create a campaign, it is important to identify the main objectives. Ask yourself, what do you intend to achieve with your campaign?

• Are you are interested in growing your followers?
• Do you wish to drive traffic and conversions?
• Do you want more app downloads?

Whatever your campaign objective is, you can fulfil this with the help of a Twitter card.

Now, let's learn the basics of creating an ad campaign and then we will find out about the various types of Twitter cards that we can use as per the objectives of our campaign.

Creating a Campaign

STEP 1 - Login to Twitter, visit ads.twitter.com and choose the type of campaign you wish to create as displayed in the below screenshot:

STEP 2 -After selecting the type of campaign, name it. If your campaign is consistent, then choose "start immediately, run continuously", else enter campaign start and end dates as per the nature of your campaign.

STEP 3 - Choose your target audience profile by selecting the location, age, gender and platforms.

STEP 4 - Now, choose your target audiences. Twitter offers 3 ways to select your targeting:

• Keywords - It lets you reach users who have shown interest in a particular keyword.
• Interests and Followers - It lets you reach audiences based on their interests.
• Tailored Audiences - It lets you target users by using data from your CRM, custom list of Twitter user ids, data based on past visits to your website etc.

STEP 5 - Choose the location as to where you want your promoted Tweets to show up. You can choose between Twitter user timelines, user profiles or the Twitter audience platform.

STEP 6 - Set a total budget for your campaign along with your daily maximum spend.

STEP 7 - Now, create your ad that you wish to promote. You can choose any existing Tweet or create a new Tweet. I also recommend you to create a website card which contains a Tweet copy, an image, and a headline. A Tweet card has been known to produce greater conversions as compared to normal tweets. In the Tweet copy, highlight your main products and services along with catchy lines that persuades the users to click on it. Under the image section, choose an image that helps your Tweet to stand out. Lastly, include a brief description in your headline text and insert the URL where you wish to redirect the users.

STEP 8 - Save your campaign, then you can either launch it or keep it as a draft for future launching.

Now, let's learn about the types of Twitter cards that you can use in your campaign.

Types of Twitter Cards

Summary Card: This card provides a preview of the content before the user clicks it. It can be used for the promotion of blog posts, news articles, product pages and restaurants.

App Card: You can initiate installs of your new app with the help of App card. You can add a name, description, icon, ratings, photo and price of the app in the tweets itself.

Player Card: By implementing a few HTML tags, you can easily create player cards that allows you to display audio/video on Twitter. This can be done for both iPhone and Android users.

Conversational Ads - The Smart Way to Improve Conversions

Conversational ads are promoted ads that use catchy images and videos having CTA buttons and customizable hashtags. They are an effective way to share your brand message and most of the bigger brands are leveraging the power of conversational cards to engage the customers and drive more revenue.

Here is how you can set up a conversational ad:

1-Login to Twitter, visit ads.twitter.com and select create a new campaign.

2- Select either Tweet Engagements for a Conversational Image Ad or Video Views for a Conversational Video Ad.

3- Click on "use a conversational card option" that will allow you to configure your Card. Now, fill in the details, including:

• The image or video in your Card
• The number of hashtags in your Card
• The Tweet copy that will be pre-populated in the Tweet when users interact with the Card
• A headline (appears above the hashtag) in a one-choice hashtag option
• Thank you text (appears after a user has Tweeted your message)
• Thank you URL (optional URL to drive a user to after they have set up the Card.)

4- Set options forbidding and targeting and you are ready to launch your campaign.

The biggest advantages of conversational ads is that it provides the users with 2 options and both of them are going to benefit your brand. Have a look at the below conversational ad to promote the movie "Captain America".

Optimizing Twitter Ads for Better Conversions

Here are some guidelines to perfectly optimize your ads so that they drive more web traffic and conversions:

1. Use images while promoting your tweets. Explain your product or service with an infographic as it will help the users to communicate your value proposition at a glance.
2. Use Call to Actions with actionable words in them like "Shop Now", "Book Today", "Last Chance", "Hurry" etc. The CTA must match the outcome you want.
3. Twitter is all about getting the conversation started. Asking a question to the users make them feel like they are a part of a conversation. Cards that have a question mark (?) in them generate 25% more clicks.
4. Don't be afraid to experiment with ad copies, headlines and images. You should keep them changing as per the attributes of your target audience.
5. Have a great landing page for the users and do not fool them. If your tweet says 20% discount then your landing page must have that information. An organized and clean design with a minimalist approach yields the greatest benefits.
6. For more flexibility and control, use the targeted and maximum bidding options. It will enable you to get maximum exposure and conversions.
7. Implement conversion tracking and use Twitter Analytics to identify which promoted Tweets are generating the maximum revenue.
8. Don't hesitate to pause campaigns that are not under performing. Also, remove tweets and keywords that are not performing well with alternatives having better chances of converting.
9. Keep an eye on the device specific conversion data and adjust your bids.
10. A video clip with a pretty face that's easily recognizable can do wonders for your ad campaign. Moreover, always have an open loop with the user and don't provide an answer to the solution.

The best way to drive more revenues through your Twitter ad campaign is to have a fresh and a creative approach. Platforms and dashboards are constantly changing. Be a part of this change and use all the latest cards and tweet types that Twitter launches regularly.

Have you implemented any special ideas into your Twitter ad campaigns with considerable success? Please let me know in the comments below.