Geo-Targeted Ads Coming To Twitter This Year

Geo-targeted ads have become an essential part of the Google Ads service for quite some time now and it looks like Twitter will be following suit by offering a similar service to their advertisers, according to a report by AdAge. By the end of the year we could see Geo-targeted adverts based on your current location, which would be calculated by a basic Geo-IP algorithm.

This would allow big brand names to target specific Twitter users who live near their particular stores or for “virtual” brands that offer non-location-specific goods and services they will be able to target particular areas that match up with their “typical buyers” (aka Geodemographics). For example Apple might target Kensington or Chelsea in London because it is a upper/middle-class area with the disposable income levels to purchase (overpriced) Apple products.

Twitter is expected to roll out the new service in time for this year’s holiday shopping season which should allow advertisers and Twitter to gain lucrative returns. Twitter has been working quite extensively recently on its keyword targeting and targeting specific adverts for people based on who they follow and what they are interested in. While you may disagree with adverts within Social Media, Twitter has to make itself profitable somehow and advertising seems like the most obvious and profitable way.

I just wonder how long it will be before you have to sponsor your Tweets to reach all your followers. On Facebook your page’s posts only reach around 5-15% of your page’s fans unless you sponsor each post to reach more which of course isn’t cheap and is effectively an advertising revenue stream for Facebook.

What are your thoughts on this move by Twitter?

Image courtesy of Twitter