With the Easter season upon us, Twitter is taking the opportunity to reminder advertisers that they can target their Twitter ads using event targeting, enabling them to maximize their exposure around trending discussions.
Event targeting was launched last July, giving advertisers the ability to focus their campaigns around popular topics and tap into the growing conversation as those events unfold. Of course, brands have always been able to do this by identifying and applying trending hashtags, but event targeting enables marketers to reach a wider scope of interested audiences, and more effectively.
Using Twitter's event targeting algorithms - which incorporate a variety of engagement signals - the option gives advertisers the ability to serve event-related ad content to people engaging with event-related content, in any way, via the platform. This means brands can reach not only those sending event-related tweets, but also the people who are viewing and engaging with event-related content in other forms - i.e. those who are viewing and reading event tweets, but not actually participating in the discussion themselves.
It's an interesting option, and it works in line with Twitter's strengths in real-time coverage. And even if you don't use it, Twitter's event-targeting calendar provides a heap of event-related stats and data that can give you a better understanding of how the platform's being used to discuss specific celebrations and moments.
To locate the event targeting calendar, you first need to log in to your Twitter Analytics dashboard. From there, click on 'Events' in the menu at the top of your screen and you'll be taken to a calendar listing of all the events which you can target.
Click on any of these events and you'll be shown a breakdown of the Twitter discussion around that event from the previous year - including tweets, tweet impressions and gender splits.
There's also insight into where the event is most discussed, in terms of geography, and on what devices fans are most active
In addition, there's also a listing of the top brand tweets from the previous event, giving you some context around what type of marketing messages have resonated with this audience.
Not all of the events have all of this information available, but there are hundreds listed, and you can filter them by date, type or location to better focus your search.
As noted, it's a helpful tool, whether you use event targeting or not, providing you with an an idea of what events are gaining traction on Twitter, and what tweets are resonating in relation to them.
Image via Twitter
If you want to add event targeting to your Twitter ad campaign, the option is available in the 'Select Your Audience' segment of your campaign set-up process.
Once selected, you can either enter the event name or browse through the list - if you choose to browse, a new pop-up window will appear prompting you to search through the listed events.
It's a pretty simple process, and given the number of events available, and the options provided to reach a wider audience around each, it may be worth trying out for your next campaign.
For additional context, Twitter has provided some examples of brands who've focused on event-related discussion for their campaigns, including L'Occitane, which created this message to tap into discussion around Japan's Cherry blossom season.
Jadikan kulit kenyal & lembut bagaikan beludru dgn Cherry Blossom Face Fresh Mist https://t.co/Qtex7VBuLa pic.twitter.com/DZZGGb4V3T
- L'OCCITANE INDONESIA (@LOCCITANE_ID) March 1, 2016
Duck Duck Goose Fun used the Twitter chatter around the switch over to daylight savings to highlight a 'timely' idea for kids craft.
How to Make Easy Sun & Moon Paper Plate Clock for Kids - Great Daylight Savings Time Craft
- Duck Duck Goose Fun (@DuckDuckGoozFun) February 28, 2016
Teach kids how... https://t.co/jDYXVcfn0T
While shoe company Miz Mooz focused on April Fools Day with this campaign.
Have you seen our #SelfieShoes yet? http://t.co/v7wmTJHAe2 pic.twitter.com/guKSlJwX7k
- MizMooz (@MizMooz) April 1, 2015
All of these ideas would be boosted by utilizing event targeting to increase their reach and connect with Twitter users who are already discussing and engaging with each respective event.
Obviously, the ROI of any Twitter campaign is going to be driven by the percentage of your target audience who are active on the platform, but brands who's audience is there and who are utilizing Twitter ads effectively are seeing good results. And if nothing else, as noted, the data available via the event targeting dashboard might provide you with additional food for thought in your campaign planning, with a view into how many people are discussing each event and how brands are reaching those audiences effectively through their tweet campaigns.