Twitter Agency Playbook 2019 PDF
Twitter Agency Playbook 2019 PDF
Playbook
Created by
@TwitterBusiness
1 | Agency Playbook @TwitterBusiness
Table of contents
Managing client 4
expectations
Setting up accounts 6
for success
Top takeaways 22
Success stories 24
Additional resources 26
Twitter is what’s happening. The power of the platform comes straight from our audience — the brave,
the bold, the game-changers, and the superfans. They’re leaned in, leading the way, and driving the
conversation. And this is exactly what makes Twitter so powerful, impactful, and unique as an advertising
platform — because it connects you with them.
Twitter is the #1 platform for discovery because our audience is receptive, influential, and engaged. People
on Twitter are 15% more likely to inform friends and family about new products and services1, and spend
26% more time viewing ads than on other leading social platforms2.
If you’re looking to #Launch Something New, #Connect with What’s Happening, or start a conversation,
Twitter is the place to be. #StartWithThem.
But navigating the ever-changing world of digital advertising is tricky. To make sure that your client gets the
most out of Twitter, we’ve compiled this go-to guide as your key resource for everything Twitter. All you need
to know to achieve the best results is right here.
1
Source: Global Web Index Q1 2019: Global
2
Source: OMG+Twitter, Receptivity with Neuro-Insight, Oct 2018: US, BR, JP
Simply put, if your client has ambitious goals for Twitter, they have
to run paid campaigns to support them. You don’t have to put
money behind all of your Tweets or necessarily for a long time,
but promoting a powerful Tweet can give it the initial momentum it
needs to attract a lot of organic attention.
Back talk
Takeaways:
Use Twitter when your campaign has an edge to it. Agencies and
brands push themselves to re-invent and evolve. Twitter is the Plan a strategy for organic and paid content. They should
perfect place for that creativity, especially if it has an element balance and strengthen each other.
of wit or sass. The brands that attract the most engagement on Use the Twitter marketing calendar and events dashboard
Twitter are often the ones that were willing to take a few risks to optimize your content planning.
and prioritize humor, speed, or entertainment over consistency Break any and all brand news on Twitter to reinforce
and caution. your timeline.
Use the most clever, conversational, and bold version of
your brand voice to compose Tweets.
1
Source: Trendkite Digital PR
Managing client
Nearly everyone in the world knows what Twitter is. But
that doesn’t mean they understand it or know what can be
expectations
expected from advertising on it. When bringing Twitter up to
a client, you’ll likely hear their opinions of the platform. Use
these pointers to steer the conversation in the right direction.
1
Source: Twitter internal data, 2017
Expectations
Twitter is real time. Advertising success on Twitter is not.
Just like every other channel, Twitter Ads take time for a business
to grow and develop an effective advertising strategy. But because
Twitter itself moves so quickly, many advertisers are confused or
disappointed by the need to optimize and experiment over time.
Takeaways:
Identify specific detailed metrics with your client, and
email agencyhelp@twitter.com to get information on
typical performance benchmarks in the industry.
Be patient when it comes to seeing big results. Like
any platform, it takes time to build up a strong Twitter
presence and following.
Capitalize on Twitter’s interest-based strong suit by
utilizing our unique targeting capabilities.
Setting up
For businesses and brands, the keys to an account often
changes hands a few times. Because of this, we often see
accounts for
experienced and savvy advertisers who have set-up-related
snags that can stall their Twitter campaigns. We don’t want
success
anything to slow you down.
stalls. Often, advertisers don’t realize this and see declining accounts who are in your clients’ area of interest and that you think
engagement, not realizing that their ads have stopped serving. are “good at Twitter”. Use the Twitter search bar to filter for local
There are two solutions you can set up before you even launch accounts or people discussing hashtags relevant to your client.
your campaign: Follow them. Be liberal. Take an entire afternoon to follow new,
unfollow stagnant, and find interesting accounts.
• If you plan to spend over $2,000 (or local currency
equivalent), email agencyhelp@twitter.com to have your Investing in your timeline gives you a healthy feed of content to
credit limit raised. Retweet. Sure, publishing good Tweets fills your account with
quality content, but so does Retweeting. And Retweeting
• If you plan to spend a minimum of $5,000 (or local currency is easier.
equivalent), email iorequest@twitter.com to apply for an
insertion order. • Retweeting is a safer step for brands who want to make a point
but don’t want to be the ones to officially say it.
Multiple logins • Retweeting well is valuable for your followers. Some people
You’re probably managing multiple Twitter accounts for one
have a large following because they are good Tweet curators.
client. You probably have multiple clients. You may be keeping all
It gives your followers more than just your voice.
of those passwords on a Post-it in your desk drawer. None of this
is ideal. • Retweeting saves time. Why push yourself to create an original
Tweet about something another account has already said better?
First, download a password protection software. Second, email
agencyhelp@twitter.com and ask about multi-user login. They will • Retweeting other accounts creates a positive relationship
make a duplicate of your client accounts so that everyone can with them.
be on the same account at one time and you can easily switch
between all the clients you manage.
What makes a
The Twitter Ads you create appear on Twitter as Tweets.
The Periscope you cross-post — also becomes a Tweet.
good Tweet?
Videos, polls, website links, and shower thoughts —
Tweet, Tweet, Tweet.
Video Hashtags
The impact of video is still increasing and successfully attracting huge Only add a hashtag if you’re linking your Tweet to a broader
engagement. Remember to add subtitles for sound-off viewers and conversation, event, or movement. Think of it as if you’re having
show your branding/logo within the first three seconds so that even a conversation and a third person walks up. The hashtag is you
brief viewers get the message. saying, “Oh, hello, we’re just talking about _____”.
Get creative and experiment with new video ad formats, including Remember that, once Tweeted, hashtags become clickable links.
First View and Sponsorships, to expand your reach and influence. So don’t use more than two and if you want viewers to click
Contact your Account Manager for more details. somewhere else (a button, an image, or your own link), it’s best to
not include them at all.
Images
The single simplest thing you can do to get more attention to your Voice
Tweets is to add an image or GIF. Grab a GIF from the in-Tweet GIF Many brands use Twitter to feature a wittier, faster, or current
search and remember to keep your images high-quality. version of their voice. Don’t be afraid to alter your usual brand
guidelines to create a more bold and human-sounding Twitter. And
Tweet length remember that singular Tweets are the perfect method for testing
Tweets can now contain 280 characters. But being concise is in your tone. Does your audience like formality, silliness, snarkiness,
Twitter’s DNA and it’s good for marketing. Can you condense your puns, or dad jokes? Tweet a few of each and let the engagement
message to 140 characters? How about 70? 35? be your guide.
Emojis
Does your business speak emoji? Millions use this symbolic
language of faces , flags , and everything in between to
express themselves in fun, creative ways on Twitter. They’re
perfect for celebratory messages , consolidating your
character count, emphasizing a point , showing appreciation ,
communicating value , and much more. Play around with the
emoji keyboard to see how you can connect your brand and
message with this trendy medium.
Emphasize urgency
“Today only!”, “start now”, “only a few seats left!” —
Twitter moves quickly, so this language resonates well.
Calls-to-action
If you want people to sign up, say “sign up today”. If you want
people to follow you, tell them what you plan to Tweet about along
with “follow us”. Make your reader’s next steps clear. Be open
Try a few targeting options and interests that seem a bit outside
Check up and tweak your client’s focus. Advertisers are often surprised by who their
Don’t just let your campaigns run their course and then see message resonates with. Let a few test campaigns show you
how they’re doing. Check on a newly launched campaign where possible new audiences could be.
every few days. If it’s struggling, delete the creatives that are
under-performing and add fresh ones or readjust your targeting. Targeting
If it’s thriving, try to figure out which creatives your audience are Your targeting possibilities are limitless. But we find follower
responding to so well and consider adding more budget. targeting to be the easiest type for many businesses to start
out with because all they have to do is think of who their ideal
customer would be following. For more specific targeting help,
email agencyhelp@twitter.com.
Takeaways:
Keep your Tweet copy clear, concise, and bold.
Choosing the
determines what a campaign will do and how an advertiser
is charged. We do not charge for non-objective benefits —
most effective
even though running a campaign to boost one metric often
helps other metrics as well.
campaign type Learn the in’s and out’s of our campaign types to make
sure you’re choosing the right one every time.
Followers campaigns grow an engaged audience. App re-engagement campaigns get returning users to
open or update your app.
What you pay for: New followers who converted through your ads.
You’re not charged for clients who found and followed your account What you pay for: App link clicks. You’re not charged for organic
organically. app activity from logged-in Twitter users.
Website clicks or conversions campaigns bring people Tweet engagements campaigns start conversations and
to your website. attract more engagement.
What you pay for: The number of link clicks on your ads. You’re not What you pay for: Initial engagements (replies, likes, Retweets,
charged for organic traffic from logged-in Twitter users. and Retweets with comment) on Promoted Tweets. You’re not
charged for the organic engagements that follow. (So don’t be shy
Awareness campaigns put your Tweets in front of as on replying to customers as much as you want.) You’re not
many people as possible. charged for engagement on your non-Promoted Tweets.
What you pay for: Every thousand impressions (CPM). Video views campaigns get a larger audience to see
An “impression” is when a Tweet fully loads on someone’s timeline your video.
and they see it. If 9,999 people see your Promoted Tweet, then you
would be charged nine times, not 10. You’re not charged for any What you pay for: The number of views on your Promoted Videos.
interactions with the Tweet (likes, Retweets, detail expands). You’re not charged for organic video views or any click-throughs.
Pre-roll video campaigns are also available. Many advertisers find
App installs campaigns get new people to download that our video products yield their most successful campaigns.
your app.
What you pay for: App installs. You’re not charged for organic
app activity from logged-in Twitter users.
The specs of
Twitter is a highly visual platform, and compelling graphics
are key to attracting attention. To ensure that your creative
ad creative
doesn’t appear warped or blurry, and is running at its optimal
performance, all the ad formats and specifications you need
to know, along with some of our recommendations, are below.
Promoted Tweet
Text-only Tweet
Tweet copy: 280 characters (Note: Each link used reduces
character count by 23 characters, so for example, using one link
would leave 257 characters for Tweet copy).
Video length: Recommended: 15 seconds or less. Max: 2 minutes URL: Must begin with http:// or https://
and 20 seconds. Videos will loop if they’re under 60 seconds.
File size: Max 1GB
File types: MP4 or MOV
Frame rate: 29.97fps or 30fps
Frame rate: 29.97fps or 30fps. Higher is acceptable. If the
available video has a lower frame rate, don’t try to “unsample” it. These same specs also apply to First View. Contact your
Account Manager for more details on this engaging new
Recommended size: 1200x1200 (minimum for 1:1 is 600x600). Any ad format.
height is acceptable, but if height exceeds the width, the video will
be cropped to 1:1 in the feed. If not a 1:1 aspect ratio, 640x360
minimum.
Website title length: 70 characters. Please note — depending on Website title length: 70 characters. Please note — depending on
device and app settings this description may truncate. Although device and app settings this description may truncate. Although
not guaranteed, limiting the description to 50 characters should not guaranteed, limiting the description to 50 characters should
ensure that truncation won’t occur across most devices. ensure that truncation won’t occur across most devices.
File size: For optimal performance, keep files under 30MB. The Image size: 840x418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio (max 3MB).
max file size recommended is under 1GB. 800x800 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio (max 3MB).
Video length: 15 seconds or less File types: PNG or JPEG (no BMP or TIFF files)
File types: MP4 or MOV Custom header and CTA: Enter your own customized header and
call-to-action button to tell people what you want them to do
Frame rate: 29.97fps or 30fps. Higher is acceptable. If the when they see your ad.
available video has a lower frame rate, don’t try to “unsample” it.
File size: For optimal performance, keep files under 30MB. The
max file size recommended is under 1GB.
File types: PNG or JPEG (no BMP or TIFF files, GIFs uploaded will
render as a static image)
Getting your
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, did
it make a noise? Similarly, if your ads aren’t reaching the right
message to the
audience, are they making an impact? The simple answer is
no. But Twitter offers advanced and highly-specific targeting
right audience
tools to make sure your content receives optimal exposure to
the right audience, when they’re most receptive.
Demographics
Target by gender, age range, language, geo-location, or device. For
iOS and Android devices, specific model targeting is also available.
You can also target people who first used Twitter on a new device
or carrier within the past 6 months, or target devices connected to
Wi-Fi only.
Pro tip: Avoid age and gender targeting unless your product/
service is age-restricted or gender-specific, because these
fields can unnecessarily limit your overall reach.
Audience features
Further refine your audience by including or excluding the following features:
Keyword targeting selects people who searched for, Tweeted with, or engaged with Tweets containing your selected words within the past
7 days. Target your direct followers or users with interests similar to another account’s followers with followers and follower look-alikes
targeting. Interest targeting narrows in on users who are interested in a variety of 350+ pre-set interests across 25 categories. Interest
signals include who users follow and the content of the Tweets they engage with.
Takeaways:
Understand the different demographic and audience
feature targeting options.
Brainstorm how you can use Twitter’s unique features to
reach your audience, including conversation targeting and
Tweet engager targeting.
Create your tailored audiences list to specifically target
certain individuals.
Tweets published between noon and 10pm local time gain • Average monetizable daily active users was 139 million,
more engagement than Tweets outside of that window. up 14% year-over-year and the 10th quarter of solid year-
More Tweets are published during the week than the over-year growth. We’re delivering more value to advertisers
weekend, and Monday is the most popular day to Tweet. through a larger engaged audience and better performing
products. Our improving ad metrics reflect ongoing strong ROI
# Tweets with hashtags gained 100% more engagements
than Tweets without. Including 1-2 hashtags works the best
for advertisers.
— more than that and engagement begins to decline again. • Total ad engagements increased 20%, resulting from
increased usage and improved click-through rates across
Only 2% of Tweets have a GIF, but Tweets with a GIF most ad formats.
gained 55% more engagement than Tweets without.
• Cost-per-ad-engagement was flat year-over-year, reflecting
Tweets with video attracted 10X more engagements than a mix shift toward higher value ad formats offset by improved
Tweets without. And Promoted Tweets with videos save click-through rates across most ad formats and, to a lesser
more than 50% on cost-per-engagement. Simply put — extent, mix shift toward video ad formats.
using video in your campaigns can make them cheaper.
90% of people read the copy on Twitter, higher than other leading
social media platforms.
If you would like specific data for your client about an event’s
impact on Twitter (The Oscars, back to school, the World Cup, etc),
visit the events calendar on ads.twitter.com.
Takeaways:
Schedule Tweets during prime time: Mondays between
noon and 10pm local time.
Use 1-2 hashtags, GIFs, or short videos for higher
engagement rates.
Understanding
data and insights to show you what’s working and what’s
not, and how you can improve your future campaigns. Go
your analytics
to ads.twitter.com or analytics.twitter.com to access these
dashboards and measure your results.
Campaign dashboard
Lastly, the campaign dashboard shows you everything you need to
know about how your paid ads are performing. Tracking your results
in a timely and accurate manner is crucial to getting the best results,
and this dashboard makes getting all of that information easy. Your
impressions, results, engagement rate, and cost-per-result are
displayed here. The results will be directly based on what type of
campaign objective you selected. For example, if you’re running a
website clicks and conversions campaign, the results tracked are
link clicks.
Takeaways:
Visit analytics.twitter.com to access and familiarize
yourself with these three dashboards.
Note what content is performing best, what audience(s)
you’re reaching, and how your ad campaigns are
performing.
Continue testing similar creative and copy of your
best-performing ads to optimize future campaigns.
Chapter 1: Where Twitter fits into your client’s strategy Chapter 5: Choosing the most effective campaign type
Plan a strategy for organic and paid content. They should Identify what action you’re trying to achieve through Twitter Ads,
balance and strengthen each other. and match it with the corresponding campaign objective.
Use the Twitter marketing calendar and events dashboard to Experiment with different campaigns to find the right mix
optimize your content planning. for your goal. It typically takes multiple campaigns running
simultaneously to have the strongest and best effect.
Break any and all brand news on Twitter to reinforce your
timeline.
Use the most clever, conversational, and bold version of your Chapter 6: The specs of ad creative
brand voice to compose Tweets.
Choose what type of ad format works best for your content
and goal.
Chapter 2: Managing client expectations Re-size your creative to match the specs listed above for optimal
performance.
Identify specific detailed metrics with your client, and email
agencyhelp@twitter.com to get information on typical Make sure your videos are between 6-15 seconds long.
performance benchmarks in the industry.
Account Manager, US
Senior Manager, Americas
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