The Latest: Twitter Launches a Subscription Ad Program

Here is our take on the most notable stories in Digital and Social Media Marketing from last week.

Last week, Twitter began publicly testing an interesting new subscription ad model, Snapchat once again rolls out an ad platform update, and LinkedIn launches new Lead Ads.

Twitter’s $99 monthly subscription ad program launches into public beta

Tech Crunch | November 8, 2017

In order to attract advertisers and small businesses, Twitter is publicly testing a new ad subscription model called ‘Twitter Promote Mode’. For $99 a month, Twitter automatically amplifies/boosts all of a user’s Tweets to help them save time and effort. These promoted Tweets appear as regular Twitter ads to the outside world.

Our Take

On paper, Twitter Promote Mode seems like a no-brainer for businesses who are heavily involved with Twitter advertising, or businesses looking to test the waters. As every social network is becoming more pay-to-play for businesses, this new model can provide marketers with the ability to reach their audience consistently with a fixed monthly investment.

For more information, visit https://business.twitter.com/en/advertising/twitter-promote-mode.html.

Snapchat rolls out audience-based targeting for filters (SNAP)

Business Insider | November 16, 2017

Another week, another Snapchat ad platform update. This time around, Snapchat launched new targeting options for their Filter Ads. In the world of Snapchat, filter ads are static images that can be overlaid on a user’s pictures or videos. These ads, when selected by the user, are then broadcasted to their network as their content is shared.

As of this writing, brands running this ad type can target by location, interest, age, and time of day.

Our Take

As we say every time Snapchat rolls out an update, Snapchat is feverishly trying to catch-up to Facebook and Instagram in terms of what their ad platform can do. With a step like this, they do inch ever-more closely.

For marketers looking to advertise on Snapchat, it is recommended to look out and see what other brands in your industry are doing as it is still a relatively new channel. It is important to make sure your ads are clever and engaging, as much of their success is hinged on user interaction and participation.

LinkedIn Advertisers Can Generate Leads From Sponsored InMail, Dynamic Ad Units

Media Post | November 14, 2017

LinkedIn enhanced their InMail and Dynamic Ad units last week by integrating them with their Lead Gen capabilities. Like their Newsfeed Lead Gen Ads, advertisers can now gather user data without having to leave the LinkedIn app or website. For marketers that thrive on lead generation via white papers and studies, both InMail and Dynamic Ads give them a more personalized approach to building their housefiles.

Our Take

LinkedIn quietly hit over 500 million members worldwide last week. Their userbase, combined with the ability to onboard audiences by email address, does make LinkedIn an interesting option for not only B2B marketers, but B2C as well. As LinkedIn continues to develop under Microsoft’s hand, expect more features to emerge that will make LinkedIn an interesting channel to try in 2018.

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