#MKTG – Part 4 – Twitter Ads

/ Jan Sikes

Mae Clair recently did a post listing the pros and cons of the social media platform, Twitter.

If you missed her post, here it is. https://storyempirecom.wordpress.com/2021/08/13/twitter-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-2/

Not only did she cover some of the wonderful aspects of using Twitter, but also the downsides and then the downright ugliest aspects. So, what I want to focus on today is specifically using Twitter ads to promote your books.

(Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

According to marketing guru, Jordan Steen, there are over 383 million monthly users on Twitter. Sounds like a viable advertising platform to me. There are over 500 million tweets per day. 54% of people prefer brands that are on Twitter, and the age demographics are a younger audience than Facebook.

Hashtags are a key component to giving your Tweet a little longevity, as the average lifespan of a Tweet is only 18 minutes. It took me a while to understand how hashtags work and the importance of using them. Here’s a simple explanation. For example, my latest book is a paranormal romance and it has a ghost in it. So, to make my Tweets show up in places where others might have an interest in these things, I use #paranormalromance, #romance, and #ghost. If you want to target readers, use the hashtag #readerscommunity. Following the same trend, the #writingcommunity is a very active hashtag. Whatever your books represent, hashtags are the best way to get the most mileage from each Tweet.

If you want to check out how a hashtag is trending before you add it to a Tweet, put it in the search box and see what comes up. Trending hashtags are always listed on the righthand side of the Twitter site, but if a trending hashtag has nothing in common with you or your books, don’t use them. For instance, if your story has absolutely nothing to do with one of the latest hashtag trends #BoycottTexas, don’t use it.

Images are super important on Twitter. When you are scanning a Twitter feed, you are much more likely to pause on a post with an image than a post that is only text. Something to keep in mind with Twitter images is that they are formatted to be horizontal. So if you post a vertical image, only a small part of it will show up. I see this all the time with book covers. It pays to head over to Canva and create a horizontal graphic.

Here are 4 reasons to use Twitter Ads:

  • Pay for Performance — Only pay when you achieve your marketing goals. Its objective-based pricing ensures that you only pay for the results that impart your marketing goals. Most likely, you are wanting to sell more books. So you only pay when someone actually clicks on the link that takes them to Amazon or your website or wherever you are trying to direct the traffic.
  • Keyword Targeting — You can target people who have used a specific word or hashtag in their Tweets within the last seven days. This is much more specific targeting than what Facebook offers.
  • Tweet Engager Targeting — Essentially, you are able to remarket to people who recently saw or engaged with one of your Tweets. This is also very specific targeting.
  • Low Cost Per Click — The price for most social media advertising platforms is based on an auction. It has everythiing to do with what people are willing to pay for.

I have to admit the process of setting up a Twitter ad is cumbersome. Because I wanted to have some firsthand experience to share in this post, I created an ad for my latest book award for Ghostly Interference.

Because it is not an easy process, I had to refer to the help section several times. But in a nutshell, I set a budget at $40 with the cost per click at $0.17. As of the writing of this post, I have spent a total of $10.71 and received over 10,000 impressions with 130 link clicks. I also saw a significant jump in the ratings on Amazon.

Do Twitter ads work? It’s all a crapshoot. Finding what works for you is your best answer. I’m experimenting with a lot of different avenues to help bring you some viable information. Perhaps at the end of this marketing expedition, I’ll do a recap to show what worked and didn’t work for me.

Speaking of what didn’t work, I am pulling down my Facebook Passion Page. I found that I simply do not have the time to devote to building it up and promoting it, so that was a failed experiment for me. That’s not to say it wouldn’t work for you and if you attempt it, let us all know so we can help support it!

Meanwhile, I’d love to hear from you about today’s post. Have you ever set up a Twitter ad?

73 thoughts on “#MKTG – Part 4 – Twitter Ads”

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  16. Thanks so much, Jan. This is fabulous information! I’m a Twitter user and have found that I get decent clicks there. I’ve removed a page from FB too. I will probably take down my author page as well. Instead, I set up a Twitter account for Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, the Word Weaving Poetry Journal, and my author blog. The posts from my blogs flow there effortlessly and interaction has been wonderful. I wondered about the ads. ❤️

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  18. This is a wonderful post, Jan. I much prefer Twitter to Facebook, so this is something I might try (when I have something to promote). I’m not surprised that it’s a cumbersome process – Twitter seems to excel at making things difficult. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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  19. Great post, Jan. I tried Twitter ads when I first started but had no idea what I was doing or if it even helped. I might try it again sometime with I more focused approach. Too bad the passion page didn’t work out. I guess we csn always share our passions on our author pages too.

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    • I had the same “first” experience with Twitter ads, Denise. I had no idea what I was doing and got zero results. I hope you’ll give it another try. This time, with a little more work and knowledge, I saw results and a good ROI. You are right about our passions. We can share them on either our personal or author pages. I simply didn’t have the time I needed to invest in building a following for a new page. Thank you for your comment!

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  20. Excellent post, Jan. I’m barely on twitter and yet it seems that it’s worth the effort. I did Amazon ads for a while without a whole lot of success, but this seems more direct and targeted. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. 🙂

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  25. Jan, thank you so much for this awesome information. I’ve never tried a Twitter ad, but I’ve been tempted. I’m basically clueless, so this post shed a lot of light for me. Marketing is such a crap shoot, but understanding various platforms and having first hand information from others who have tried them makes all the difference. This is something I will definitely consider in the future.

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    • That’s great, Mae! I’m glad you found the post helpful. You are so right; marketing is a crap shoot. But targeting seems to be the biggest factor to launching a successful ad on any platform. Thank you for your comment! Let us know if you try a Twitter ad and if it works for you.

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  27. I’ve never tried Twitter ads. I’ve had such nothing results from Facebook and Amazon ads, I decided I didn’t have the knack or budget for making them successful. You’ve made it sound like they might be easier to use–as far as targeting your audience. Thanks for trying them out to share with us!

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  32. As I slowly resume my writing and blogging, I’m hoping to FINALLY tackle a few marketing concepts that could work for me. I really enjoyed this post, Jan, and am saving it for reference. I closed my Facebook account about two years ago when it was hacked, and don’t want to reopen it at this time, but I automatically tweet my own blog posts and manually tweet those of others I visit, so Twitter is an option already available for me. Will be checking it out for sure. Thanks for the excellent advice and instructions. (Will be able to return to my weekly roundup posts for you guys soon, I think.) 😊

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    • Good morning, Marcia. I’m glad you are finding your way back to writing and blogging. I know it’s been a long journey for you. It’s always uplifting to see a light at the end of a tunnel. Thank you for your comment. I hope the post is beneficial should you try a Twitter ad. Happy Friday!

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      • Still baby steps for me, Jan … or at least baby-ish. Tiny adult? 😁 But making progress every day and my energy level is improving daily! I really do plan to set up some ad campaigns and have added your post to my references. Thanks again!! And a Happy Friday to you, too! 🤗

        Like

      • Doesn’t matter what business you are in, marketing is the hardest part, I am told. I did a course called “Get Rich Lucky Bitch” and women, in particular, have trouble charging their worth and selling themselves. For few of us was it ever taught, or even spoken of.
        Happy Friday to you!

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  34. Pingback: #MKTG – Part 4 – Twitter Ads – Writing and Music

  39. I haven’t done a Twitter ad, but I’d be more likely to use it than Facebook. I don’t utilize it as much as I should, mainly just to share posts that I visit. I’m enjoying this marketing series. I have a lot to learn!

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    • I am glad you are enjoying the marketing posts, Joan. It’s so ironic to me, that while marketing is my least favorite thing to do, I always feel compelled to share anything I’ve learned along the way. Thank you for leaving a comment!

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Harmony. I can attest to the fact that setting up the ad is not easy, but there are some good YouTube videos that help simplify the process. Let us know how it goes if you decide to try it. Thank you for leaving a comment!

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