Mastering Twitter Ads: Setup, Management, and Optimisations

Are you ready to skyrocket your online presence? Look no further than Twitter Ads! 

With a whopping 330 million active users, this platform is an underrated platform for your brand to connect with your target audience and boost your conversion rates.

We know that setting up and managing a Twitter Ads campaign can be daunting. We’re here to help! 

In this article, we’ll show you how to get started, effectively manage your campaign, and optimise for maximum results. So, sit back, relax, and get ready to supercharge your advertising efforts!

Setting Up Your Twitter Ads Account

Before you can start advertising on Twitter, you’ll need to set up a Twitter Ads account. Here’s a walkthrough:

1. Log in to your existing Twitter account, or sign up and create one. 
2. Visit ads.twitter.com and click on the “Get Started” button.
3. Fill out the required information, including your country, time zone, and preferred currency.
4. Accept the terms and conditions, and click ‘next’ to complete the setup process.

Voila! Your Twitter Ads account is set up and you’re ready to create your first campaign. Let’s dive in.

Creating a Twitter Ads Campaign

Twitter will ask whether you want to opt for a ‘simple’ or ‘advanced’ campaign. Don’t feel put off by the term! ‘Advanced’ will give you more control over your campaign and greater options for results! We will guide you through this set-up now.

Selecting Your Campaign Objective

The first step in creating a Twitter Ads campaign is selecting your campaign objective. This will help Twitter optimise your campaign for a specific goal, such as increasing website traffic or growing your followers. Some common campaign objectives include:

• Awareness
• Engagements
• Website traffic
• App installs
• Video views
• Followers

Choose the objective that aligns with your overall marketing goals.

Setting Up Ad Groups

Ad groups help you organise your campaign by different targeting options, bids, and creatives. This allows you to test different strategies and see which ones work best for your brand.

Creating many ad groups with different targeting options, bids, and creatives is the way to go if you want to get the most out of your campaign. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches!

Expert Tip

If you are working with a small daily ad spend, we recommend starting with 3-4 ad groups. This will still give you room to test your strategy without thinning out your ad spend.

Targeting Options

Twitter offers a variety of targeting options to help you reach your ideal audience. Some popular targeting options include:

• Demographics: Target users based on age, gender, language, and location.
• Interests: Reach users with specific interests, such as technology, sports, or fashion.
• Keywords: Target users who have recently tweeted or engaged with tweets containing specific keywords.
• Followers: Reach users who follow specific accounts, like your competitors or industry influencers. 
• Behaviour: Target users based on their online and offline behaviours, such as shopping habits or device usage.

Choose the targeting options that best align with your target audience and campaign objectives.

Designing Your Ads

Promoted Tweets

Promoted tweets are tweets that you pay to promote to a larger audience. These ads show up in users’ timelines, search results, and profile pages.

Creating a promoted tweet is easy – just compose a tweet as you normally would, including images, videos, or links. Then, select the tweet you’d like to promote in your Twitter Ads campaign.

Expert Tip

We recommend leading with at least 2-3 creative variants. This will allow you to test what your audience prefers to engage with.

Promoted Accounts

Promoted accounts are a Twitter advertising feature that can aid in the growth of your Twitter following by promoting your account to potential followers. These advertisements can be found in the ‘Who to Follow’ section and users’ timelines.

To create a promoted account ad, you must provide a brief account description and select a profile image.

Promoted Trends

Promoted trends are sponsored hashtags displayed on the trending topics list. This is known as a trending list. These ads help to generate discussion and engagement around a specific topic or hashtag.

Creating a promoted trend means direct collaboration with Twitter’s ad team. This option is not available in the self-serve ad platform.

Budgeting and Bidding

Think of your budget as your campaign’s lifeline – you can set a daily limit, a total amount, or both. And when it comes to bidding, you’ve got some cool options to choose from, like automatic bidding, maximum bidding, or target bidding.

Here’s the catch though: bidding higher can increase the likelihood of your ads being shown, but it can also ramp up your costs. You should keep a close eye on your campaign’s performance and adjust your strategy as needed.

Tracking and Analysing Performance

Key Metrics to Monitor

By tracking and analysing your ad performance, you can optimise your strategy and achieve your campaign goals. Here are some key metrics you should be monitoring:

• Impressions: This tells you how many times your ad has been shown to Twitter users. The more impressions you get, the more people are seeing your ad.
• Engagements: This includes all the ways users interact with your ad, like clicks, likes, retweets, and replies. Engagements show you how people are engaging with your ad and can help you understand what’s working and what’s not.
• Engagement Rate: This metric calculates the percentage of people who engaged with your ad compared to the number of impressions it received. A higher engagement rate means your ad is resonating with your target audience.
• Cost Per Engagement (CPE): This is the average cost of each engagement on your ad. By keeping an eye on your CPE, you can ensure you’re getting the most out of your budget.
• Conversion Rate: This metric shows you the percentage of people who clicked on your ad and completed the desired action, like signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. A higher conversion rate means your ad is effective at driving action.

Using Twitter Analytics

Twitter Analytics is a built-in tool that provides insights into your ads’ performance, as well as your organic account activity. Use this tool to monitor key metrics, analyse trends, and identify areas for improvement.

Expert Tip

Use Google Analytics for an even more in-depth preview of how your campaigns are performing.

Optimising Your Twitter Ads

Improving Ad Creatives

To optimise your Twitter Ads performance, it’s important to continually test and refine your ad creatives. Experiment with different headlines, images, videos, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience. Be sure to use high-quality visuals and compelling copy to grab users’ attention and drive engagement.

Refining Targeting

As you monitor your campaign’s performance, you may discover that certain targeting options are more effective than others. Adjust your targeting to focus on these, then continue testing new target options. 

A/B Testing

A/B testing involves creating multiple versions of your ads to see which one performs best. By comparing the performance of different ad creatives, targeting options, and bid strategies, you can identify the most effective approach for your campaign and optimise accordingly. 

Expert Tip

Stuck or not sure where to start? Try out testing audiences first and as this tends to move the needle far quicker than testing creatives. You can do this by running two ad groups that have exactly the same creatives but you want to make sure your audiences are different.

Check back in a week or two and see how the audiences behave against one another. Look at CTR, CPC and also the volume of clicks so you can ensure you’re comparing fairly against one another.

Rinse and repeat!

Conclusion

Don’t be afraid to test out new strategies and approaches to find what works best for your brand. With dedication, hard work, and a thirst for knowledge, you’ll soon become a Twitter Ads superstar.

If you’re short on time or simply want to guarantee impressive ROI, we’ve got you covered. Contact us to discuss our proven strategies and take your Twitter Ads campaigns to new heights!

FAQs

How long does it take for a Twitter Ads campaign to be approved?

Typically, it takes between 24-48 hours for a campaign to be reviewed and approved by Twitter. However, it can sometimes take longer, depending on the content and targeting options.

Can I advertise on Twitter if my account is private?

No, you must have a public Twitter account to advertise on the platform. If your account is private, you’ll need to change your settings to public before you can create Twitter Ads campaigns.

What are the minimum and maximum lengths for a promoted video on Twitter?

Promoted videos on Twitter can be as short as one second and as long as 10 minutes. However, it’s important to note that shorter videos tend to perform better in terms of engagement and viewability.

Is it possible to exclude specific users or accounts from seeing my Twitter Ads?

Yes, you can exclude specific users or accounts from your campaign by creating a tailored audience list. This list should include the Twitter IDs of the users you want to exclude, and you can then apply it to your campaign targeting settings.

What is the difference between a promoted tweet and a promoted account?

A promoted tweet is an individual tweet that you pay to promote to a wider audience, while a promoted account is designed to help you grow your Twitter following by promoting your account to potential followers. Promoted tweets appear in users’ timelines, search results, and profile pages, while promoted accounts appear in the “Who to Follow” section and in users’ timelines.

Can I target specific devices or operating systems with my Twitter Ads?

Yes, you can target specific devices (such as smartphones, tablets, or desktop computers) and operating systems (such as iOS or Android) with your Twitter Ads. This can be especially useful if you’re promoting a mobile app or a product or service that is tailored to a specific platform.

Are there any restrictions on the content of my Twitter Ads?

Twitter has advertising policies in place that restrict certain types of content from being promoted through its ad platform. Some examples of prohibited content include adult content, illegal products or services, and misleading information. It’s important to review Twitter’s advertising policies before creating your campaign to ensure that your ads comply with their guidelines.

How can I improve the click-through rate (CTR) of my Twitter Ads?

To improve the CTR of your Twitter Ads, focus on crafting compelling ad creatives with eye-catching visuals and engaging copy. Additionally, be sure to target the right audience by using relevant targeting options and continuously refining your targeting based on performance data.

Can I pause or edit a live Twitter Ads campaign?

Yes, you can pause or edit a live campaign at any time. To do so, simply navigate to the campaign dashboard in your Twitter Ads account, and click on the “Pause” or “Edit” button next to the campaign you’d like to modify.

What is a good engagement rate for Twitter Ads?

The average engagement rate for Twitter Ads varies depending on factors such as the industry, campaign objective, and targeting options. As a general benchmark, an engagement rate of 1-3% is considered good. However, it’s important to focus on your specific campaign goals and continuously work to improve your ads’ performance through optimisation and testing.

Can I retarget users who have previously engaged with my content on Twitter?

Yes, you can retarget users who have previously engaged with your content through the use of tailored audiences. This can include users who have visited your website, engaged with your tweets, or followed your account. By creating a tailored audience list, you can target these users with specific ads to drive further engagement and conversions.

How can I track conversions from my Twitter Ads?

You’ll need to use Twitter’s conversion tracking feature to track conversions from your Twitter Ads. This involves placing a website tag on your site, which allows you to track actions such as website visits, sign-ups, and purchases that result from your ads. This data can be invaluable for optimising your campaign and assessing its effectiveness.

What factors determine the cost of my Twitter Ads?

The cost of your Twitter Ads is determined by several factors, including your bid, the competition for your chosen targeting options, and the overall demand for ad space on the platform. By monitoring your campaign performance and adjusting your bids and targeting options as needed, you can optimise your costs and achieve a better return on investment.

Can I run multiple Twitter Ads campaigns simultaneously?

Yes, you can run multiple Twitter Ads campaigns at the same time. This can be especially useful for testing different objectives, targeting options, and ad creatives to see which combinations perform best for your brand.

Is it possible to advertise on Twitter without a large budget?

While larger budgets can lead to increased reach and visibility on Twitter, it’s still possible to achieve success with a smaller budget. By focusing on precise targeting, creating engaging ad creatives, and continuously optimising your campaign, you can make the most of your available resources and drive results for your brand.