Silvio Perez, founder of AdConversion, is a well-known voice in performance marketing, particularly for B2B. In 2023, amidst the significant changes and controversies surrounding Twitter (now X) under Elon Musk, Silvio offered some interesting insights into leveraging the platform for B2B ads.

Here's a summary of Silvio Perez's key insights regarding Twitter Ads for B2B in 2023:

1. Twitter is Still Alive & Worth Testing for B2B (Despite the Chaos):

"Where there is chaos, there is opportunity." This was a core message from Silvio. While many large advertisers pulled their budgets from Twitter in 2023 due to the changes and controversies, Silvio saw this as an opportunity for those willing to test.

Audience Presence is Key: His philosophy remains that if your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is actively present on a platform, then it's your "obligation to test there" to help them find solutions.

People are still using it: Despite the headlines, many people, including B2B professionals, continued to use Twitter daily in 2023.

2. Surprisingly Low Costs (CPM):

Silvio highlighted that Twitter Ads in 2023 were "really freakin' cheap." He specifically mentioned CPMs (Cost Per Mille/Thousand impressions) of under $5, sometimes even feeling like "getting free impressions." This significant cost advantage, driven by the exodus of larger advertisers, presented a clear ROI opportunity for B2B marketers willing to jump in.

3. Twitter as a Brand Awareness & Retargeting Platform (Not Primarily for Direct Conversion):

Silvio explicitly stated that Twitter isn't primarily a "conversion platform" in the same way that Google Search Ads might be (where users are actively searching for a solution).

Brand Awareness: Its strength for B2B lies in building brand awareness and getting in front of your ICP.

Retargeting is the Conversion Driver: The workaround for conversions, according to Silvio, is retargeting. He emphasized that a cool feature of Twitter is the ability to retarget people based on impressions, not just engagement. This means if someone sees your ad (even if they don't click or engage initially), you can later retarget them with conversion-focused ads. This makes the cheap CPMs for awareness even more valuable.

4. Key Targeting Strategies for B2B:

Follower Lookalike Campaigns: Silvio found significant success with these. If you know specific industry celebrities, thought leaders, or influencers that your ICP follows on Twitter, you can target audiences that "look similar to their following." He cited success getting in front of people from companies like Atlassian and Gong using this method, with cost per opt-ins between $5-$7.

Customer List Audiences (with a Trick): While Twitter (now X) allows uploading customer email lists for custom audiences, Silvio noted that the match rates for these lists often tend to be "fairly bad" (e.g., only 10% match rate for a 100k list).

Silvio's Secret Weapon: To dramatically improve match rates, he advised using email addresses to find Twitter handles and then creating custom audiences based on these handles. This more direct approach to identifying Twitter profiles from email lists was a valuable tip for B2B.

5. Getting Started & Testing:

Install the Pixel (now X Pixel): Like any platform, the first step is to install the conversion pixel (now called X Pixel) on your website to start building retargeting audiences immediately.

Explore Targeting Options: Silvio recommended creating a draft campaign and thoroughly exploring all the available targeting options to see if it's even possible to reach your ICP effectively. The goal is to "win a winnable fight" – don't force it if your audience isn't truly there.

Run a Pilot Campaign: He suggested starting with a small pilot budget, around $100, just to get a feel for the platform and understand the costs involved.

In essence, Silvio Perez's insights in 2023 highlighted Twitter/X as a highly cost-effective platform for B2B marketers, especially for brand awareness and for building retargeting pools, rather than direct, cold conversion campaigns. The key was to be opportunistic, leverage its unique audience targeting features (like follower lookalikes), and get creative with custom audiences to make the most of the cheaper ad inventory.