Twitter has confirmed the final date for removal of the “buy now” option for businesses using the social network. Provisional plans to drop the e-commerce element were announced during May 2016, with February 1 2017 being the date that it falls away completely. It has, however, been announced that the “donate now” button will remain, allowing people to give to charities and approved non-profit organizations.
The decision to drop e-commerce services is seen as another blow to Twitter. Despite the fact that this social network remains popular – and retains a high financial value – efforts to monetize it have failed, in particular when compared to networks such as Facebook. In the view of many experts, the reason for failure is that the attempts to generate income generally hinge on trying to turn the service into something which it is not.
We are one of the leading names for providing social media for business, both for companies based in our native North East and across the UK. Our social media team know and understand Twitter as a dynamic means of interacting with clients and for drawing attention to a business.
A fair question based on the above is whether or not there is any value in businesses being on Twitter. Our answer is yes, very much so. Securing a strong, professional presence on social networks is vital to brand management in this day and age. The fact that Twitter does not provide a direct revenue stream doesn’t mean it cannot be harnessed to boost revenue. Reaching out to new and existing customers through Twitter adds value to the digital marketing strategy of any business.
Skeptics doubt that Twitter will ever be able to generate the kind of revenue streams which rival social networks enjoy. We, as highlighted here, believe that they can, but it will rely on existing strengths rather than from branching out.
In terms of our social network services, what remains in focus for us is that our valued clients achieve the strongest performance possible through this channel.