What Would Twitter Search Ads Mean to Marketers?

So, now the Twitterzens have search at their fingertips. The site finally included a search bar on our Twitter homepages. As a result, the speculation about whether Twitter might form an ad deal with a big search engine are sure to resurface.

A couple weeks ago I spoke with folks who think a lot about this sort of thing for a ClickZ News story. What might the value of search ads on Twitter be for marketers? Search ad guru Eric Frenchman told me the value of search marketing lies in its ability to reach people who are seeking information, while Twitter is more about pushing out information. He wasn’t too keen on the notion of Twitter search ads.

Digital media exec David Berkowitz said search ads on Twitter would benefit media companies hoping to promote news stories. He also suggested Twitter search advertising would be great as a platform for local businesses.

Of course, there’s the uncontrolled content factor – always a concern for brand advertisers. “You could say, ‘This product sucks,’ ” Frenchman told me, noting that some Twitter content would not make for an ideal advertiser setting.
There’s a lot more in my April 14 story.