Tweets Set To Roar As Twitter Launches Self-Serve Advertising Platform

Twitter’s increasing popularity and upwards surge has taken a giant leap through it’s launching of self-service ad platform for small businesses. Even though it may not put it in the same league as Google or Facebook, it does see it nudging for space on the lofty space they occupy.

Google on the basis of its automated ad system, AdWords, made it the most powerful company in online advertisement. Twitter is not likely to match Google, but it is a significant step, towards capturing an ad market, that was virtually a monopoly of Google till now.

Matt Graves, Twitter’s PR said, “These advertisers can now set up and run their own Promoted Products campaigns and pay via a credit card. This is an important step in continuing to grow Twitter’s business. Our Promoted Products can help small and medium-sized businesses build their audience on Twitter and better engage with the people they want to reach.”

Through the new system, advertisers can buy ads directly via Twitter, using a credit card and a Web browser, without having to go through sales people and other marketing personnel. Since it is still in its shaping stage and open to only a handful of advertisers, buyers can only purchase some of Twitter’s products, in particular “promoted accounts” and “promoted tweets”. For the time being the new service will be available only to advertisers who accept or use American Express cards.

The company has assured, however, that as it expands and grows over time, the self-serve will be available to more buyers. A spokesman for the company said, “we’re starting small, testing carefully and making improvements as we learn what works. We will slowly roll this capability out to more advertisers in the coming weeks and months.”

Founded in 2007, Twitter has more than 100 million active users and a valuation topping $8 billion. It’s aim of joining the big league and finding space amongst the likes of Google and Facebook will get a huge boost as revenues are likely to increase, for small and medium-size buyers are expected to find this self-serve platform convenient and opportune. Boosted by the new self-service platform, sales in advertising are expected to reach $260 million, from the $140 million ad revenue it generated last year.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo Costolo was optimistic, saying, “The response to the ads so far has been mostly positive. I have every expectation that we will be able to scale this very rapidly.”