What Twitter’s 280 Character Limit Means For Marketers

Navigating changes in the social media world is something Toronto’s social media management firms are quite accustomed to. But for the last several years, the constant changes have been limited to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Now it’s Twitter’s turn. Twitter recently announced that over time, it will be doubling the character limit allowed in an individual tweet from 140 characters up to 280.

While the instant reaction was positive, social media management agencies in Toronto, Mississauga, and surrounding areas are looking at how it will affect the messages they share on Twitter and their overall digital marketing strategy. So, before you start adding more hashtags or pushing out longer marketing pitches, think about how your message will be received by your audience. Just because you can say more, doesn’t mean you should!

Pros and Cons Of Twitter’s New Character Limit

Even if you are new to Twitter, chances are you’ve experienced the frustration of having to cram your message into 140 characters. The expanded character limit will certainly make it easier to send out content, but those in the social media management field still need to be aware of the downside to these changes.

Let’s examine some of the changes, both positive and negative, Twitter’s new character limit will bring to social media marketing.

Pros

1. Better Customer Service and Interaction.

Brands have been able to engage with customers on Twitter, but most extensive conversations or interactions had to be through DMs (direct messages). The expanded character limit means that responses to customers tweets can be seen by followers too, giving your audience greater insight into your brand and customer service practices. The new character limit will enable more details to be shared and responses can get a bit more human, which is always positive.

2. Transparency.

Paid and sponsored tweets require clear disclosure. Other specific industries, such as finance and pharmaceuticals, need to be labelled for compliance reasons. The added character space means that you can still have ample room to get your message across in a clearer way.

3. More Creative Freedom.

The most obvious benefit of having twice as many characters is that you can share twice as much information in a single Tweet. This has the potential to reduce the total number of Tweets brands need send out, which can help to streamline digital marketing strategies.

Cons

1. Using The Space For The Wrong Reasons. (Ambien)

Sometimes too much freedom is a bad thing! Even though marketers now have more space to use, the downside is that they will make the wrong choice in how to use it. Loading in extra hashtags or bloating up messages with filler just because they can will be detrimental to any brand’s Twitter strategy.

2. Discarding Brevity.

Twitter’s USP has been brevity it has become a talent for brands to be able to deliver witty and effective messages in only 140 characters. With the character expansion, brands may be tempted to copy and paste their content from other platforms as the message may now fit into a newly expanded Tweet. In addition, the purpose of sharing content on Twitter is still to drive people to your website or a specific URL, but adding too much content means your links could get buried in the copy.

3. More Work To Build Quality Content.

A branded Twitter profile is nothing without good content. Doubling the message size effectively doubles the workload something that businesses may not have yet considered.

How Twitter’s Changes Affect You

Those in charge of social media management and social media marketers will have to stay on top of the effects that materialize from Twitter’s latest change. As always, not everyone will like the proposed change and it may result in people moving away from the platform or reduced engagement. What Twitter is hoping for, though, is an increased interest in the platform and the return of those users that abandoned it due to its limitations. More eyeballs on brands that use Twitter would certainly be considered a good thing.

Want to make the most of Twitter’s new capabilities? Measure Marketing is a social media management firm that supports Toronto and Mississauga area businesses. Our expert team can help your brand leverage social media marketing and stay on top of the trends and changes that affect how your business communicates with your audience. To make the most of your digital marketing strategy, contact us for a complimentary consultation.