When it comes to paid advertising in social media outlets, Twitter has been a hold out. For the past four years, generating a revenue stream has not been part of their business model – making Twitter one of the last remaining social media outlets without an infiltration of eager marketers keen to take advantage of the over 18 million users.

Let the keyword auction begin.

Last week, a “promoted tweet” business model was announced.  Similar to paid search advertising, advertisers and Tweeters will be able to bid on keywords. A promoted tweet – only one per page – will then appear with the search results. Tweeps will then get a targeted message presented at the top of their twitter stream. As a real-time information network, with a massive quantity of information available in a single stream, is this system really going to be effective?

Cutting through the Twitter clutter.

Many marketers have been successful in the twittersphere without the use of a paid advertising model. Companies from @SouthwestAir who post promotions and deals on flights and hotels – to @Starbucks and @HoltRenfrew tweet their latest deals and news all while supporting their customers with real time response. To avoid getting stuck down a rabbit hole of information overload, RT’s and #’s are two twitter functions already built in to connect, cross-reference to easily locate content. Promoted tweets are going to have to have a super juicy offer to make a user click through so their message doesn’t get buried and lost in the twitterstream — along with the dozens of other tweets that don’t catch your attention in the first 40 characters.

Getting the right message out to the right people in more ways is one to ensuring good product or corporate awareness, but loyal twitter users may find the promoted tweets tool a distraction. However, only time will tell.

Do you think Twitter’s promoted tweet model will be a successful tool for marketers – or just another post lost?

Shawna Robinson has the heart of a farm girl and a razor-sharp mind for strategy – and spends as much time online as offline with her clients to keep their campaigns fresh and current. She can be reached directly at Shawna.Robinson@adfarmonline.com.