That is, until now, as Twitter has announced plans to implement ads for all users, even if you don’t have an account. The new move, first mentioned earlier in the year by then-CEO Dick Costolo, offers marketers three times the audience size, which will now expand from 320 million to 820 million. This should increase revenue and keep some of the biggest advertisers interested in the microblogging service.
Ads cannot be tailored to users without an account, but Twitter is still able to push non-specific advertising to those users. The ads will even be available on embedded tweets in Google Search, potentially reaching even more viewers than anticipated.
This news has come at a perfect time for Twitter, as it struggles to gain new users. Most investors in the company appear to support it, including angel investor Chris Sacca, who recently said that a Google acquisition would be a good move.
Facebook and Google are both continuing to grow their social efforts, including through heavy investment in emerging economies like India, Indonesia, and rural Africa. Compared to Facebook, YouTube, and even Instagram, Twitter has a hard time selling its network as the premier place for advertisers. Engagement is lower, due to the lack of customization for adverts, and there are less overall viewers.
That is still the case, even with the 500 million new potential viewers, but the additional eyes gives Twitter a bit of time to implement new features, which could in turn generate more users. The company stock rose seven percent on the news that it will implement non-account advertising.
