Last month Twitter extended its character limit for tweets to 280 characters, resulting in a mixed response from users.
Whilst some people celebrated the freedom this new limit allows, others complained that the extended limit would ruin Twitter’s unique selling point – its brevity.
What are the benefits of this new character limit?
Enhanced user experience
When the limit was 140 characters users found themselves needing to create a thread of tweets in order to sufficiently get their point across. These threads could be difficult to follow and engage with, not to mention, they clogged people’s newsfeeds. With the new character limit, it will be easier for users to communicate their message without needing to tweet multiple times.
Easier communication with customers
Many customers turn to social media platforms such as Twitter to reach out to companies with enquiries, compliments or complaints. However, with the limited character count, users found it difficult to adequately express themselves or describe an issue. The new character limit means both customers and businesses can communicate with each other in a more detailed and thorough manner.
More room for creativity
Producing engaging content within 140 characters could be a challenging task. Getting your point across whilst being precise was no easy feat, and sometimes several revisions were necessary before posting. With the extended character count, brands have more opportunity to engage and inform their audiences through written content. With 280 characters, it will be easier to create compelling content without needing to sacrifice important words.
How should brands deal with this development?
Doubling the character limit for a tweet is no small change, and many brands are wondering what this development could mean for their marketing efforts.
Here are a few tips for adjusting to the new limit:
Revise scheduled tweets
If you have already created and scheduled your tweets in advance, you may want to go back and edit them before they go live. If you find that some tweets could benefit from a longer character count, go ahead and take advantage of the new limit.
Avoid posting too many lengthy tweets
Remember that 280 characters is the limit, not the goal. Do not feel obligated to meet the character limit, especially if your message can be expressed more concisely. Although 280 characters is not exactly an essay, it can still take up a lot of space on people’s newsfeeds, especially if they are using a mobile device. Although it is fine to reach the limit every now and then, regularly posting lengthy tweets can annoy users and cause them to unfollow you. Remember, brevity is the key.
