In late September 2017, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey announced that the social media platform would be testing out – to a select group of users – a newly increased character count (the current is 140 characters). Avid Twitter users have learned over time to create dense content. In a way, the doubled amount can be a good thing, especially if you’re looking to be a better writer.
280 characters is extremely exciting to some who now have more room to express themselves in detail. If you’re looking at this from a marketing standpoint, it can also be beneficial. Our social media strategists are already brainstorming how this can be of benefit to our clients.
Does your current business’ social media page entice enough followers? Contact our digital marketing agency in McAllen today if it isn’t!
Twitter’s Observation
Although Twitter has been very successful since its creation in 2006, it’s recently noticed a decline of active users over the last few years. How did this happen? The social media giant speculates that it has to do with using dense content. Social media users have become spoiled with so many platforms that if they’re not liking one, then there are plenty others to choose from. It’s tough to put a character count on users’ thoughts, and Twitter has picked up on that.
A few current users aren’t too thrilled about the character increase, though. They claim that’s what makes Twitter so unique and different from other platforms. On a personal usage level, that argument wouldn’t be a problem, but what does this mean for marketers and advertisers?
For Marketers
Like other social media platforms, Twitter uses advertising on its site. According to Forbes, businesses and companies are spending 20% of their marketing budget on social media marketing as it is, however, this percentage does not include digital marketing as a whole.
An increased character count can be a potential game changer in the world of social media marketing. This means more room for your social media strategist to better work with your business’s message. Advertisers currently find themselves chopping their tweets in half. This can make a business page sound very rigid because there isn’t enough room to add personality to the message. More room means less restraints. One of our social media strategists, Clair, shared her opinion on the character count increase.
“The increased character count on Twitter will allow more freedom for me to play around using emojis or hashtags. I think it’s crucial to keep sentences to the point, but sometimes that doesn’t allow you to be expressive or engaging. Now, my tweets can be more playful.”
Twitter for Your Business
For many social media users, Twitter is their main news source and platform for expression. It can be a fun way to stay up-to-date on politics, pop culture and business. As you scroll down your newsfeed, you’ll notice you’ve taken in more news and updates because of the density of the tweets.
With an increased character count, Twitter users are likely to hang out on the platform longer. This can increase the chances of users learning more about your business. If you’re looking to take full advantage of what social media can do for your company, then contact our digital marketing firm in McAllen today!