Twitter Taps Polls for Future Revenue Growth

The other week Twitter starting testing a curious new feature: Twitter Polls.

Some reactions were less than favorable, and many questioned the purpose of polls. My argument is that Twitter Polls is actually a strong business move for Twitter. The seemingly small feature will turn into a source for new revenue growth for Twitter as a paid ad unit.

Here’s why this makes sense:

It Fits Twitters Ad DNA

Twitter simply can’t match the massive scale of Facebook’s audience, so it has continually tried to introduce unique, differentiated ad products. You see this TV targeting and event advertising on Twitter. Facebook doesn’t have either of these options, and it’s paid polls product has never been widely rolled out.

It Matches Previous Behavior of Consumer First, Paid Second

Recently with auto-play videos we saw at Twitter release the consumer product in June 2015, while the paid product came out in late September. This roll-out cycle has become fairly common, and has trained me to think of advertising implications first now when a new consumer feature comes out.

It’s a Proven Business

Companies like SurveyMonkey have clearly shown there is huge business in new-age polling products. SurveyMonkey alone pulled in more than $100 million in revenue last year. The polling research market is a multi-billion dollar industry. Just a simple slice of that could contribute to significant revenue growth for Twitter.

The Timing is Right

It just so happens that 2016 is an election year. How convenient! Campaigns are going to want as much inventory and as many different units as possible. Candidates could use Twitter to better understand the public’s opinion on issues or to gauge their own chances of winning different races. Anthony Noto, Twitter’s CFO, used one of his first Poll Tweets to ask a related question:

A massive shift in advertising is also happening. Big brands are shifting spend to digital, and in particular, mobile. Polls seems like a unit that big advertisers will gobble up. They’re quick to create, have a long shelf-life, and let customers voice be heard. You could imagine Oreo’s polling their audience on a new flavor they’d like to see developed, or Home Depot asking what home improvement projects you’re planning to tackle soon.

Polls still have a long way to go. They need to prove to be successful as a consumer unit first, but if this happens, expect Twitter Paid Polls to be right around the corner.

I'm building Bamboo, a mobile advertising agency focused on helping companies grow.
Get in touch: sauterdj@gmail.com
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