It's never too late for an early bird special -- especially if it means another way for Twitter to monetize its growing traffic.
The first deal through Twitter's own @earlybird account was tweeted yesterday. It's a 2-for-1 multiplex ticket special to catch Disney's
Breaking through 50,000 followers yesterday, @earlybird is a far cry from the microblogging site's most popular accounts. Twitter CEO Evan Williams is closing in on 1.2 million followers. Give it time, though. Even if we're talking about sponsored deals, a Twitter-owned account that spits out deals is going to be a hot follow.
This isn't Twitter's first attempt to monetize its site, beyond licensing its real-time tweet results to Google
The program sounded iffy at the time, but it still managed to enlist marquee brands -- Best Buy
The @earlybird initiative will naturally run into less resistance, since folks have to opt in to receive the deals. But will they?
Of course they will. Folks love the nature of a timely deal. Why did Amazon.com
Indeed, @earlybird isn't exactly an early bird in this niche. Since it consists of a single global address, it will also lack the city-specific deals that Groupon and Living Social offer. It's also hard to cultivate a sense of community or craft clever deal copy when you're limited to Twitter's 140 character cap.
Ultimately, none of that matters. The @earlybird feed is a good start, and long overdue. After so many established companies and startups have utilized Twitter's sticky appeal to generate leads through the site, why not Twitter itself?
What do you think of the arrival of online advertising on Twitter? Shares your thoughts in the comment box below.
