Twitter Now Sending Promoted Tweets Into Timeline Streams
Twitter on Thursday began a new promoted tweets program that sends advertiser tweets into a users timeline. In the past promoted tweets only showed up in Twitter search results, a fact that kept those tweets out of sight for many users.
The new program places promoted tweets “at or near the top” of a users timeline according to Twitter reps, however to avoid constant tweet spam users will only receive the extra sponsored tweet in their timeline if they are already following the brand that is sponsoring the advertisement. For example if you follow JetBlue and they sponsor a tweet you will see it near the top of your timeline.
Users who wish to remove the sponsored tweet from their profile can do so on a one-by-one basis, allowing them to engage with the product, even if just to remove it from their feed.
Here’s a quick look at how the program will output on your timeline:
The move to find better engagement standards for the company is important as many users have learned to “tune out” ads when they appear in the same spots at all times, to combat that fact the company must constantly move ads into new placements, while figuring out how to engage users who recognize them as paid advertisements. Since users already receive Tweets from brands they follow the new service just puts those messages at the forefront of the users timeline, allowing them to further engage with company’s they already follow.
Currently 80 percent of brands renew their campaigns on Twitter according to the company’s chief executive officer Dick Costolo who mentioned at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference that the number of advertisers for the company went from the low hundreds last year to a sevenfold increase this year.
The first company’s to see promoted tweets in user timelines include, Dell, Gatorade, Best Western, JetBlue and Starbucks.
As a public service Twitter will also be displaying Promoted Tweets from nonprofit organizations that Twitter users follow.
Do you think the new timeline promoted tweets is a smart move for the company? I personally don’t mind seeing promoted tweets from company’s I follow but if they decide to throw in other sponsors that I don’t follow at any point I would have issues since the timeline is a much more up close and personal integrated part of my Twitter account than Facebook ads and other platform advertising.