If you haven’t stopped by the Twitter home page lately, go visit now. Don’t just go directly to your profile, another profile, the advanced search page, or your account. Nope. Type “www.twitter.com” into your browser search bar and take a look at the Twitter home page.
It’s changed so much since Twitter started to get noticed in 2008. For example, Twitter’s current home page clearly communicates the company’s commitment to brands. Take a look at an image from the Twitter home page below and see for yourself.
Read the copy in the image above, and notice that the message makes a point of saying that Twitter helps you, “Find out what’s happening, right now, with the people and organizations you care about.”
If there was any doubt about how Twitter feels about brands, that welcome message clears things up. Brands are a priority for Twitter.
In 2011, Twitter rolled out Promoted Tweets, Promote Accounts, Promoted Trends, and Enhanced Profile Accounts. Each promoted product helps Twitter earn the revenue it needs to generate and gives brands the opportunity to connect with consumers in a variety of ways. More recently, Twitter rolled out a quiet launch of self-service ads, which could open the doors for small businesses to invest in Twitter advertising and promoted products, too.
It’s safe to assume that this is just the beginning of initiatives that Twitter will launch to partner with brands. The opportunities for Twitter to make money and for brands to connect with the audiences they want to find online are huge and ready for the taking. 2012 should be an exciting year for brands to leverage Twitter marketing and the new opportunities that are likely to come along.
What is your brand focusing on as it relates to Twitter marketing in 2012? What do you think will be the big Twitter marketing trend in 2012? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
It’s funny to think just a few years ago there was a debate over whether brands should be on Twitter at all! There is no doubt who won that debate.
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
