CustomMade

CustomMade (@CustomMade) is an online marketplace connecting Buyers who want one-of-a-kind creations with professional and passionate Makers of those goods. Born in 1996 with the vision to help people find the unique gifts, objects and goods they cannot find through traditional retail channels, @CustomMade has grown from a community of 350 carpenters to more than 12,000 Makers of all trades since its acquisition in 2009.

The challenge

@CustomMade wanted to connect with the Twitter users most likely to be interested in custom products. The company knows there are a variety of reasons why people buy custom items: Some value high quality, handcrafted products while others want personalized items for meaningful moments in their lives. @CustomMade needed to engage the right consumers based on their interests by participating in relevant conversations already happening on Twitter.

The solution

@CustomMade used Promoted Accounts to grow its follower base, extending brand reach and awareness. The company targeted Twitter users similar to its current followers as well as people with interests like unique design, green trends and supporting small business, which closely align to the passions of its core base of customers.

To connect with the most relevant audience, @CustomMade targeted keywords in timeline and connected Promoted Tweets with Twitter users based on interests like green trends and pop culture. The company leveraged its own best practices from paid search campaigns to target keywords and interests that have performed well.

@CustomMade also targeted Promoted Tweets to keywords in timeline about popular new films. For example, the company targeted a Promoted Tweet about a custom Star Trek engagement ring to Twitter users already talking about Star Trek. With keyword targeting, the company was able to place relevant products in front of passionate fans talking about popular movies on Twitter.

@CustomMade focused on crafting Tweet copy that added value to the conversation. Tweet copy often included the keywords that @CustomMade was targeting like Iron Man in its Promoted Tweet about Iron Man Toms shoes. The company chose keywords around relevant trending topics to ensure volume.

@CustomMade also used rich media to engage Twitter users with interesting visual content like an infographic about the economic and environmental impact of buying local.

 

“One of the best things about keyword targeting in timeline is that we can connect with people who have shown interest in a particular topic. By joining the conversations consumers are already having around their passions, engagement on our Promoted Tweets has gone through the roof.”

Stephanie JosseyAcquisition Marketing Manager at @CustomMade

The results

@CustomMade increased followers by 111% and drove an average Promoted Tweet engagement rate of 3.30% with spikes as high as 10%. Twitter has also become one of the top social referral sources to its website.

3 keys to success

1. Build your base.

   @CustomMade used Promoted Accounts to create more brand advocates and stay top of mind with consumers when they are ready to make a custom purchase.

2. Listen to your customers. 

   @CustomMade doesn’t have a large inventory of mass-produced items. Instead, the online marketplace creates one-to-one experiences between consumers and the makers of custom products. The company extends this approach on Twitter by listening to its customers to really understand what they care about and what kinds of products they need. “We let the consumer start the conversation. On Twitter, you don’t have to wonder what people are thinking. They tell you in a direct, individual way. This gives you a totally unique opportunity to tailor and target messages that will resonate,” says Stephanie.

3. Be relevant. 

   @CustomMade connects to the real-time interests of its target audience on Twitter by piggybacking on existing conversations and adding value when its message is most relevant. The tone of @CustomMade’s Tweets is always helpful and socially intelligent, illustrating the company’s genuine interest in connecting with consumers and understanding exactly what they want.