The Volvo XC90 advertisement shown above, was in my Twitter stream on November 6, 2013, on the eve of the Twitter IPO. This Volvo ad is visually attractive and invites readers to learn more about the Volvo CX90.  The advertisement include a direct link to a landing page, which is a press release.  I’ll talk more about Volvo’s choice of their landing page, but let’s learn more about advertising opportunities on Twitter.

Dealers who are investing in Paid Per Click (PPC) digital advertising are primarily using Google Adwords. Some dealers may be testing Facebook PPC advertising but very few are using Promoted Tweets. I am encouraging progressive dealers to start their Twitter strategy while costs are very reasonable.  The PPC costs are at least 50% cheaper than comparable costs on Google Adwords.

Twitter Ad Targeting

Like Adwords, Promoted Tweets can be targeted by geo-location, which you would expect.  Twitter has some unique advertising targeting that are not available in Google Adwords.  Advertising campaigns in Twitter can push attractive graphics and text in the newsfeed of Twitter users based on words in their tweets, hash tags in their tweet, or based on people that they follow.

For example, a Ford dealer could target their Ford F-150 ads to consumers in their local market who follow Ford Motor Company’s Twitter account and/or local consumers who have specific keywords in their Tweets like F150, F-150, pickup truck, etc. A BMW dealer could promote their latest 7 Series models to local consumers who follow the gourmet restaurants in their community and/or consumers who follow luxury goods retailers like Tiffany, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

The potential opportunities are endless and since the ads can contain beautiful graphics, the ads are great branding tools even if the ad is not clicked.  Since Twitter advertising costs are charged on a per click basis, Twitter ads are a very attractive form of local digital advertising and branding.  Twitter provides detailed advertising reports which shows how many times your ad was seen and how many people clicked on the ad.

The key to Twitter advertising is a good landing page.  The Volvo advertising team chose a press release as the landing page which I think is a poor choice.  The landing page should have included better content, more photos, and a lead form to route inquiries on the XC90 to local dealers. I know that this is a new form of advertising but the landing page choice is a blunder.

Looking For Leaders

Dealers who are looking to add low cost social media advertising to their digital strategy should give our team a call to discuss advertising campaigns on Twitter and Facebook.  Dealers who are first to market will benefit from lower advertising costs and the highest ROI, before the room gets crowded.  PCG has the tools and experience to create device independent landing pages that convert clicks into leads and website traffic.

About the Author

Brian Pasch is the founder of PCG companies. PCG provides customized marketing and training solutions for businesses that are committed to dominate their local market.