Brafton has reported surging Quora membership and increasing ad opportunities on Facebook, but a new eMarketer report indicates that Twitter will not be left in the dust this year. Ad […]

Brafton has reported surging Quora membership and increasing ad opportunities on Facebook, but a new eMarketer report indicates that Twitter will not be left in the dust this year. Ad revenues on the microblogging site are expected to surpass $150 million in 2011.

EMarketer predicts that Twitter will see an annual revenue gain of more than $100 million this year. In 2010, marketers spent $45 million on Twitter advertising. This year, U.S. marketers alone are expected to spend $140 million, and global spending will bring Twitter ad revenues to a predicted $150 million.

Moreover, the analysis firm expects this positive trend to continue, with Twitter poised to take in as much as $250 million in ad money in 2012. Still, for the microblogging site to reach this level of growth, eMarketer suggests it will need to demonstrate that ad dollars are worth marketers’ investment.

Debra Aho Williamson, a principal analyst for eMarketer, says, "In 2011 [Twitter] must work overtime to give its early advertisers a positive experience."

One thing the company has working in its favor is a wide user base that will enable many marketers to reach their target audiences. As Brafton reported last year, a Pew study shows 6 percent of all U.S. adults and 8 percent of online adults use Twitter.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.