Are Twitter Ads Available in India? A Detailed Guide for 2023

Twitter advertising has become a trendy and effective way for brands to reach their target audience in India. With over 24 million monthly active Twitter users in India, it provides a massive opportunity for marketers looking to build awareness and engagement.

This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to know about Twitter Ads available in India – from eligibility, options, pricing, targeting, and best practices. Whether new to Twitter ads or looking to improve your existing campaigns, this guide will provide you with the latest information and actionable tips to help you make the most of Twitter advertising in India.

Overview of Twitter Ads in India

Twitter introduced its advertising platform called Promoted Tweets in India in 2013. Since then, Twitter ads have become one of the most powerful digital marketing platforms, allowing brands to connect with relevant audiences in real time.

Here are some key highlights of Twitter ads in India:

• Twitter has over 24 million monthly active users in India as of Q2 2022, making it a significant marketing platform.
• 78% of Twitter users in India are under 35, making it ideal for youth brands.
• Twitter ads target users by location, interests, behaviors, and more.
• Advertisers can promote tweets, accounts, trends, or videos with Twitter ads.
• Performance targeting options like website clicks and conversions are available.
• The advertising platform is self-serve and easy to use.
• Twitter provides detailed analytics on ad performance.
• Advertising options range from lower-funnel lead generation to upper-funnel branding campaigns.

So whether you are a small business looking to drive leads or an enterprise brand wanting to engage consumers, Twitter ads can prove highly beneficial for brands in India.

Who Can Advertise on Twitter in India?

To run Twitter ads in India, advertisers must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Have an authorized Twitter business account in the business or brand’s name. Personal accounts are not allowed to run ads.
• The account must be based in India and have an Indian phone number and postal address added in the Settings.
• Ad Payment method must be an India-issued and registered credit/debit card. International cards are not accepted.
• All Twitter ads policies applicable to the country must be adhered to while creating campaigns.
• Business accounts of all types, like SMBs, startups, agencies, and enterprises, are allowed to advertise on Twitter as long as the above criteria are met.
• Influencers or individual accounts cannot run Twitter ads directly. However, influencer marketing campaigns can be run via agencies.

So, if you meet the above requirements, you can start advertising on Twitter in India! Let’s look at the various ad options available.

Twitter Ad Options Available in India

Twitter offers various ad formats and campaigns to meet different marketing objectives. Here are the main types of Twitter ads available in India:

Promoted Tweets

This is Twitter’s core ad unit. It allows you to promote your best tweets to a broader audience by paying for them. Users who see Promoted Tweets in their timeline look just like regular tweets and encourage engagement.

Promoted Trends

This allows you to promote a hashtag or trend on Twitter’s Trending bar for enhanced visibility. When users click on the trend, they will see your promoted tweets.

Promoted Accounts

This ad unit promotes your Twitter account profile to gain more followers. It displays your account name, bio, and profile photo on timelines.

Promoted Videos

You can promote video content up to 2:20 minutes long. The video autoplays right within the tweet when a user engages with it.

Twitter Takeover

This immersive ad format lets you take over the top of the Twitter timeline with a Promoted Trend, Promoted Tweet, and Promoted Account combination.

In addition to these central ad units, Twitter also provides campaign objective options like:

• Website clicks/ conversions
• Followers
• Tweet engagements
• App installs
• Video views

So you can choose the ad format and objective that aligns best with your marketing goals.

How Much Do Twitter Ads Cost in India?

Twitter ads in India are available on a cost-per-click (CPC) bidding model. That means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. The minimum bid is ₹3 per click, and average costs range from ₹8-15 per click.

However, the exact ad cost depends on factors like:

• Level of targeting – more specific targeting has higher costs
• Competition for keywords
• Ad format
• Campaign objective
• Overall ad budget and duration

Twitter provides a handy Bid Simulator tool to help you estimate the cost per click for your promoted tweet based on your inputs.

[Image showing Twitter bid simulator tool]

To optimize your spending, starting with a daily maximum ad budget and adjusting bids based on performance is advisable. Twitter’s AI-based optimization helps maximize results within your budget.

A video ad and targeted landing page also help reduce costs and improve conversions.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Twitter Ad Campaign in India

Running a successful Twitter ad campaign is easy if you follow some best practices. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating your first Twitter ad campaign in India:

Step 1: Create a Twitter Business Profile

Register for a Twitter business account if you still need to get one. Make sure to fill out all the required profile information.

Step 2: Access Twitter Ads Manager

Go to ads.twitter.com and sign in with your Twitter credentials. Click the blue “Create Campaign” button.

Step 3: Choose the campaign objective

Select your campaign goal from brand awareness, website clicks, conversions, app installs, follower growth, etc. This will shape your ad strategy.

Step 4: Set up the campaign

Enter your campaign name, start and end dates, and maximum daily/total budget. Ensure your payment method is India-based.

Step 5: Configure targeting

Target your ads to your ideal audience by location, keywords, interests, device type, etc. Use a mix of broad and narrow targeting for best results.

Step 6: Design your ad

Create your ad post with compelling copy, hashtags, visuals, call-to-action and destination URL. Keep the ad text under 280 characters.

Step 7: Set your bid

Place your cost-per-click bid. Start on the lower side and increase gradually. Use Twitter’s Bid Simulator for guidance.

Step 8: Review and launch

Preview how your ad will look on Twitter. Submit for approval. Once approved, your ad campaign will go live.

Step 9: Track performance

Monitor ad metrics like impressions, clicks, and conversions to optimize for better results. Adjust targeting and bids as needed.

These steps will help you create an effective Twitter ad campaign tailored to your Indian audience.

Twitter Ads Guidelines and Policies for India

While creating Twitter ad campaigns, you must ensure compliance with all their policies around content, privacy, prohibited advertising, etc. Here are some key Twitter ad guidelines to follow in India:

• Comply with Indian laws and Twitter’s terms of service
• Run only authorized business accounts, not personal profiles
• Include honest, clear disclaimer on promotional content
• Don’t make misleading claims about products/services
• Respect user privacy – don’t target sensitive categories without consent
• Ad imagery must be appropriate for general audiences
• Include ad transparency notices like “Promoted” or “Sponsored.”
• Don’t use controversial or offensive content in ads
• Ad destination landing page must offer the expected product/service
• Comply with Twitter’s and TRAI’s rules on user data protection
• Follow regulations by ASCI, IB Ministry, Election Commission of India
• Adhere to intellectual property rights, copyrights, and trademark rules

Ensuring your ads meet Twitter’s policies is essential, or they can get disapproved or banned. So, review their latest advertising rules before creating your campaign in India.

Real-World Examples of Successful Twitter Ad Campaigns in India

Many leading brands in India have run inventive Twitter ad campaigns aligned with their marketing strategies. Let’s look at some real examples that got great results:

Axis Bank

While nearly every industry was severely impacted in 2020, local vendors and small businesses were the hardest hit, with many forced to close their doors. Axis Bank took up this critical matter and asked people to #ReverseTheKhata, citing the link between consumers and their corner shop through the upkeep of a ‘khata’.

The campaign depicted many periods in the interaction between customers and small enterprises, and the simple message ‘Khate mein likh do’ urged people to switch roles and help vendors who have always maintained open lines of credit with their clients. The ad leveraged a brilliant and sympathetic insight to connect with its consumers in an authentic way, establishing it as the finest brand for speaking up and standing up.

Netflix India

To promote their youth-centric web series, Netflix created a Promoted Trend targeting relevant pop culture keywords liked by Indian millennials. It generated buzz around the new show launch.

Zomato

Zomato ran video promos highlighting their app features to attract app installs in metro cities. Retargeting users who didn’t install helped push conversions.

Uber India

They ran informative video ads targeting public transit hubs to inform commuters of Uber’s safety measures. The reassuring message helped build a positive perception.

These examples show that aligning promoted content to audience interests and current events is key for Twitter ad success in India. The interactive and real-time nature of the platform makes it possible to connect with target customers engagingly.

Tips to Improve Your Twitter Advertising Performance in India

Here are some proven tips to help you get the most out of advertising on Twitter in India:

Use conversational copy: Write your ads in a friendly tone using conversational language. This makes the ad text feel more natural.

Leverage trends: Use relevant trending topics and hashtags to make your ad more visible to those audiences.

Test different ad formats: Experiment with promoted tweets, trends, accounts, and video ads to see what works.

Refine targeting: Use location, keyword, interest, and follower targeting to reach the right people.

Retarget website visitors: Remarket to users who have visited your website to retarget and convert them.

Track conversion events: Measure beyond clicks by tracking sign-ups, purchases, and other goals.

Analyze and optimize: Review metrics regularly and tweak targeting, bids, and creativity to improve results.

Go visual: Use appealing images, graphics, and video that make your ad stand out in the feed.

Automate campaigns: Use Twitter Ads API to automate rule-based bidding and targeting at scale.

Following these tips, you can develop an effective Twitter advertising strategy tailored to your Indian marketing objectives.

Key Takeaways on Twitter Advertising in India

Let’s summarize the key points for setting up successful Twitter ad campaigns in India:

• Twitter’s massive youth audience makes it a must for youth-centric brands in India seeking engagement.
• All businesses can advertise on Twitter if their accounts are authorized and India-based.
• A wide range of ad formats like Promoted Tweets, Trends, Accounts, and Videos are available.
• Use precise targeting and creative optimization to drive relevant traffic and conversions.
• Follow Twitter’s advertising policies and local laws for smooth ad approval.
• Align your ad strategy to marketing goals – awareness, consideration, or sales.
• Continuously track campaign metrics and refine targeting to improve performance.

The real-time, interactive nature of Twitter ads can enable brands to connect with relevant audiences and influence decisions across the marketing funnel.

So leverage Twitter advertising in India to engage consumers, influence purchase journeys, drive website traffic, increase app installs, and more based on your specific business objectives. With the right strategy tailored to Indian audiences, you can realize your brand’s full potential for Twitter ads.