San Francisco ( Financial Times ) -- Twitter has unveiled a new automated advertising technology that promises to unlock the moneymaking potential of the microblogging site . The development of a Twitter ads API , or `` application-programming interface '' , satisfies a long-awaited desire of advertisers to increase and improve the reach of their marketing messages to Twitter 's 200m active users . A similar technology launched by Facebook in 2010 helped that social network reach more than $ 3bn in revenues the following year , with analysts estimating the system currently generates roughly 60 per cent of the company 's revenues . Twitter currently sprinkles paid tweets in a user 's timeline , amid posts from people and companies they have chosen to `` follow '' . Twitter said users would not see more ads as a result of the new system , at least in the short term , but that pricing might increase for advertisers as its auctions to buy ads become more competitive . `` As interest in Twitter has grown , our focus has been on delivering better ads for users , not more ads , '' said April Underwood , Twitter 's product manager for revenue , in a blog post . `` Our system rewards marketers for being good , not for being loud . '' Ms Underwood told the FT that there was `` no direct impact on the user experience in the short term '' , although Twitter users should see `` more relevant and better ads '' as a result of the new system , because it would be simpler for advertisers to use the targeting capabilities which it introduced last year . Although she did not rule out a future increase in the inventory given over to ads , Ms Underwood said the company took users ' experience `` really seriously '' . `` We take a slow and thoughtful approach , '' she said . `` Our motto is to get it right rather than right now . '' The new system will certainly increase ad revenue for the social media company , which is believed to be planning an initial public offering for early next year . Research firm eMarketer estimates Twitter revenues will grow nearly 90 per cent this year to $ 545.2m , and reach more than $ 800m in ad revenues worldwide by 2014 . Before the new platform , advertisers had to manage their Twitter campaigns manually . The new system automates the process , streamlining the management process for advertisers and giving them more tools to `` deliver the right message , to the right audience , '' on both desktop computers and on mobile devices . It also allows ad buyers to integrate Twitter campaigns with those on Facebook and LinkedIn , as well as search and display . Twitter said it began testing the new API last month . It launched it on Wednesday with five partners that oversee social media advertising purchases for large multinational companies , including Adobe , Hootsuite , Salesforce , SHIFT and TBG Digital . Twitter noted earlier this month that it took four minutes after the Super Bowl 's unexpected power outage for the first `` Promoted Tweet '' to appear referencing the blackout . Using the API , Simon Mansell , chief executive of TBG Digital , said that could be reduced to as little as four seconds , through greater automation . `` This is an obvious and necessary piece of infrastructure that all companies with proprietary ads systems need , '' said Josh McFarland , chief executive of TellApart , an ad-targeting company that uses Google and Facebook 's APIs . But Mr McFarland , who as a product manager at Google led the development of its AdWords API in 2003-05 , said that such platforms can be `` tricky '' because they `` cede some control to third parties '' , in return for helping Twitter `` significantly scale its active advertisers and campaigns '' . `` Twitter 's willingness to build an ads API signals that they 've reached a size where they feel that the accretive value of third parties -- to monetisation at least -- outweighs the risks , '' he said . Adobe did an early test of the platform with a few of its customers , including Levi Strauss , the clothing company , and its own Adobe account , in an effort to increase the number of people who `` follow '' the brands on Twitter . By using granular targeting , segmenting the campaign by regions and testing different bid levels on pricing , the company increased its number of Twitter followers by 63 per cent . `` Our customers have been asking us to include Twitter '' in Adobe 's media products , said David Karnstedt , senior vice-president of media and advertising solutions at Adobe . `` Promoted tweets and promoted accounts are important assets in creating a holistic digital marketing campaign . '' © The Financial Times Limited 2013 .
Twitter unveils new automated advertising technology to unlock profit potential . New `` API '' , application-programming interface , was long desired by advertisers . The company said it will allow marketers and publishers to create more personalized ads for their products or services without having to spend time building a custom ad network. Twitter : 'Users will not see more ads -- at least in short term '