Twitter is already gearing up for next year's U.S. presidential elections and it just introduced a new way for users to make campaign donations through tweets.
At the same time, candidates can also solicit donations through a tweet, prompting users to support their cause. Twitter teamed up with Square for the initiative and candidates will have to sign up for a Square Cash account to take advantage of the new Twitter feature.
Once Square verifies the campaign, the candidate or representative who is the Twitter account holder can tweet a link or "$Cashtag" to solicit donations. The tweet will also include an image with a "contribute" button.
Other Twitter users, meanwhile, can click on that "contribute" button and send money through a simple tweet. Twitter will enable users to select a cash amount they want to donate and add their debit card, as well as FEC required details. Once they make the donation, Twitter users can also tweet the candidate's $Cashtag to encourage their followers to contribute as well.
"This is the fastest, easiest way to make an online donation, and the most effective way for campaigns to execute tailored digital fundraising, in real time, on the platform where Americans are already talking about the 2016 election and the issues they are passionate about," Twitter explains in a new press release on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Twitter further notes that it developed several tools such as country-specific notifications to remind users when to register to vote, richer tweets that facilitate email collection during campaigns, and real-time audience tailoring for advertisers.
Twitter has always been a popular tool for discussing political issues, supporting causes and raising awareness in various situations. The latest move will enable the microblogging company now to play a bigger role in politics.
Twitter made no mention yet of whether it plans to extend this simple campaign donation service to other markets as well in the future, but for now it, has the 2016 U.S. presidential elections in mind. Currently, only Twitter users and candidates in the U.S. can take advantage of this new service developed in collaboration with Square.
