Twitter’s Kevin Weil Says The Big Advantage Of The Company’s New Keyword Targeting Is Timing
Earlier today, Twitter announced that it will allow advertisers to target their promoted content based on the keywords in a tweet. I had a brief conversation with Senior Director of Revenue Products Kevin Weil who laid out Twitter’s perspective on the announcement’s significance.
“People always say that you are what you tweet,” Weil said. (Always?) At the same time, he noted that the content of those tweets haven’t been a significant part of Twitter’s ad targeting — instead the company uses things like your device, geographic location, and “interest graph” based on people you follow. With today’s announcement, he said the content in public tweets have now become a “first-class citizen.”
Coverage of the announcement, including TechCrunch’s, has emphasized the ability this gives Twitter to target ads based on purchase intent, similar to Google’s search advertising. Weil made a similar point, but with a slightly different spin. He said that Twitter’s current interest graph targeting allows advertisers to find the “who” — in the other words, the audience that’s likely to be interested in the topics that they want to promote.
“With keyword targeting, you get the when,” he said. So an advertiser isn’t just targeting based on your general interests, but also what you’re interested in right now. Twitter’s blog post described this as reaching an audience “at the right moment, in the right context.”
Weil said that this shouldn’t change the experience for the user. They won’t see more ads — it’s just an extra way to target those users. Nor does it change Twitter’s emphasis on only showing ads that are genuinely engaging to users, he argued. Engagement rates for Twitter’s ads are usually 1 percent to 3 percent, but they’ve been significantly higher in early tests of ads that also use keyword targeting.
He added that this is something that could be useful to both small and large advertisers. For example, if there was a big sporting event, a large brand advertiser might want to run an ad targeting anyone who’s talking about the game. A neighborhood bar, on the other hand, could advertise their happy hour deal by targeting similar keywords, then use geotargeting to limit their audience to users nearby.
Weil will be speaking on our advertising panel at Disrupt NY, and I hope to get more details about the program from him then.
Originally posted here: Twitter’s Kevin Weil Says The Big Advantage Of The Company’s New Keyword Targeting Is Timing
Alfred updates its productivity app for OS X with advanced automation tools and custom themes
Alfred, a search and productivity app for Mac OS X which is far more powerful and intuitive than Spotlight, has been updated today with a new feature called Workflows, which can help automate tasks involving multiple steps both on the Web and desktop.
Under the Preferences menu, users can click on the Workflows tab to create a new shortcut, or review which of their existing Workflows they have toggled on.
It can be a little daunting at first, but the tool is a fantastic way of executing multiple tasks through a single hotkey. For example, one pre-installed Workflow created by Alfred developer Andrew Pepperrell allows for automated movie searches.
The first step requires the keyword “movie”, followed by the name of the release. Alfred then automatically opens your default Web browser and launches three new tabs; a search on YouTube, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a simple premise, but for users who like to research movies on a regular basis, such a workaround should save considerable time and effort.
Setting up a workflow can be tricky due to the vast number of options and commands on offer. As with many productivity apps though, the preparation is worth it in the long run, as it can quickly convert tedious and arduos tasks into a simple shortcut.
One that I configured, for example, allowed me to instantly load up the TNW website using a hotkey, as well as a specific folder of photos that I regularly need to draw from.
Elsewehere, Alfred is still much the same as version one – released back in November 2011 – offering a variety of ways to access content instantaneously. A custom hotkey brings up the Alfred search box; begin typing and you’ll find relevant search results for applications, contact cards and preferences.
Start wth the word “find”, however, and Alfred will look for folders, documents, images and other files stored on your hard drive, before displaying them in the Finder. The keyword “open” will launch the file straight away, while “in” is handy for locating a keyword nestled in a particular document.
All of that, you could argue, is covered by Spotlight though. Alfred improves on Apple’s basic tool by offering web searches, either via Google, Wikipedia or Amazon, as well as quick access to a calculator and dictionary.
Email addresses and phone numbers stored in the default Mac OS X Contacts App can also be located easily – something that I found particularly powerful when used in conjunction with Cobook – as well as items stored in the clipboard and music controls for iTunes.
For the more tech-orientated users out there, typing the “>” key will force Alfred to recognise shell commands, and there’s also a whole ream of keywords for basic OS X controls such as force quitting apps, restarting your Mac and ejecting removable media.
The bottom line
Spotlight is an iconic feature of Mac OS X, but for anyone looking to increase their productivity, or reduce the time spent on their mouse or trackpad, Alfred is the way to go.
Whether it’s basic shortcuts or more elaborate Workflow commands, this app can benefit all users regardless of their technical expertise or knowledge of Mac OS X.
Alfred is free, although for some of the more advanced features such as iTunes control, you’ll need to purchase the optional Powerpack.
➤ Alfred
Image Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
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Keyword Phrases in Alt Tags [WordPress] Andy Moore
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