Are we going the wrong way with Twitter ads?
Getting your business out there in front of a large number of eyes and the right audience is key to succeeding – every marketer and business owner knows that. But for different industries and in different locations, certain types of advertising and marketing are known to work better than others. However, what seems obvious to the many now is that online advertising is the best form of marketing, but is that really so?
Since anyone and everyone now has some form of online presence, with the vast majority of us having accounts on multiple social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat among others – advertising on these channels is rife. Additionally, young people nowadays are far more likely to turn to the internet, whether on a desktop, laptop, table or smart phone, for their entertainment rather than the television. With these being the people that many companies want to target with their campaigns, it seems only natural that advertising on social media is the way to reach them.
However, a recent survey shows that this may not be the case. Data Label has researched into the ways that we view and recognise advertising and found that 88% of people have noticed advertising on vehicles, whereas only 44% have noticed them on Twitter. This survey was answered by over 1000 people in the UK aged 18 and over.
The stats will be surprising to most. There are estimated to be over 6000 tweets sent per second; stats also show that in an average ten mile drive, we will see around 6000 vehicles. However, of those 6000 tweets sent every second, it’s estimated that only 1% of your followers will see that message, and even fewer will engage with it: most people average a 0.5-1.0% engagement rate on Twitter.
So what can we take from this research?
Ad targeting
While the stats show that people are noticing ads far more frequently on vehicles than they are on social media, they may not be acting upon them. Making sure that the ads that do get through to the right customers on social media is a huge importance. Create a clear message, define your audience, and target your ads towards them to gain customers that will convert rather than people who will notice an ad and forget about it.
Don’t snub traditional marketing
Old school marketing techniques such as vehicle ads or word of mouth aren’t dead yet. People will always rely on trust and recommendations from others like them or people they admire, so using these traditional techniques can help you find loyal customers.
Be wary of the ad blocker
Ad blockers are the bane of many a company’s life! Some places encourage people to switch them off, but a more reliable option is to approach influencers, whether in real life or online to help your business flourish. Online influencers, including those with large followings on social media as well as bloggers, are the modern version of word of mouth traditional advertising, and their ads will often be editorial meaning that they’re not usually up against ad blockers.