#TwitterSale: Why B2B Companies Are Flocking to Purchase

October 12, 2016

Twitter is on fire right now.

No, it’s not because of the rosy outlook of the app’s future—its user and revenue growth have actually plateaued a bit. We’re talking about the heat from all of the acquisition rumors: Salesforce, Verizon and Microsoft reportedly have shown real interest in purchasing Twitter. As we were chatting about it here at Ignite, two questions immediately came to mind: What are the implications of an acquisition like this? And what change would this bring to the media, social and B2B landscape?

Any acquisition clearly would be a big step for Twitter as it moves further away from “social network only” territory. For them, it’s not just about 140 characters and retweets anymore. As the app embraces media extensions, including live streaming, Twitter is positioning itself to become possibly the preeminent live companion/destination everyone will flock to for up-to-the-minute updates when news happens. Twitter even sees this as its own future, moving its mobile app listing in Apple’s App Store from the social section to news, which recently caused an acceleration in app downloads.

With over 300 million active users, Twitter is obviously a data gold mine, adding to the acquisition attraction from all of these suitors. For B2B, this data gold mine could give companies a wider range of resources for content deployment, lead generation and customer acquisition. A purchase by Salesforce would most certainly move the conversation in that direction. Imagine the impact Salesforce could have if it had Twitter’s data in tow. It could further enhance its own—and Twitter’s—CRM, marketing and analytics tools to create a more seamless way for companies to market themselves, track ROI and further integrate Twitter into their inbound marketing strategy. With Salesforce’s new AI platform, Einstein, Twitter’s data could aid deep machine learning, offer insight on followers and their sales potential and automate content to help close sales.

As TV evolves into an always-on, any-screen experience, Twitter could also look ahead to becoming a viewing destination for live events (building on its recent deal to stream NFL games live), not just a news and “live tweeting” utility. Imagine watching a live event and live tweeting on one screen in the same application, creating a true multimedia experience that you can enjoy wherever Twitter is available, and generating new ad revenue streams within this experience.

There are lots of opportunities on the table, and that makes all this chatter so exciting. As marketers, we always look for new and innovative ways to connect brands and their audience. With so many companies in play, the inevitable acquisition of Twitter will open avenues to connect, communicate and build relationships in brand new ways.

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