Thanks to Twitter, PR, sales and marketing just got a little cozier. The company announced yesterday that retailers using certain e-commerce platforms now can sell products and services within a tweet by adding a "Buy" button. PR pros tweeting on behalf of b2c companies should see this as an unprecedented opportunity to tie their communications savvy to the bottom line, literally and measurably.
Twitter's new partnerships with e-commerce platforms Bigcommerce, Demandware and Shopify are the real news behind this advancement. Merchants, of any size, using any of these platforms for e-commerce can add the Buy button by contacting their e-commerce provider directly. Twitter also suggested that merchants not working with either of these platforms should reach out to their Twitter account representative if they want more information.
Basic questions over who owns social media have subsided in recent years, as being active on social media has become part of the daily job for most PR pros and marketers, and their counterparts on the journalism side of the equation. This has led to an expressed theoretical desire to break down silos between PR, marketing and sales and engage in truly integrated communications programs. In practice, though, the turf battles remain.
The most forward-thinking PR pros have been developing their analytical skills over the past few years, using technology to listen to social data and make their social media communications more closely entwined with business goals. Those who now have the opportunity to add a Buy button to their tweets should no longer be shut out of sales and marketing meetings—and have every reason to bang on the door if they're left off the invitation list.
Follow Steve Goldstein: @SGoldsteinAI