Social Media Marketing – Say More On Twitter

Social Media Marketing – Say More On Twitter


The moment has finally come where Twitter users can articulate their irritation with the 140 character limit in more detail, since Twitter has officially affirmed that they have expanded the character limit to 280 per Tweet!

The social networking service, which was launched in 2006, grew quickly to become one of the most prominent social media sites across the world, however recent declines in growth prompted the social media giant to make some alterations. Twitter distinguishes itself from other social media networks with its ‘microblogging’ feature, which is significantly unique to equivalent social media sites like Facebook and Google Plus. Twitter has just over 330 million users that send nearly 6,000 Tweets per second.

Despite the 140 character limit that firmly defined the social networking site, Twitter disclosed on November 7 that they want every user throughout the world to ‘easily’ express themselves on Twitter. After carrying out a number of tests over the last couple of months, Twitter determined that they wanted to raise the character limit, but only where required. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and China will stay at the 140 character limit, merely because there’s no warrant for an increase, as sending messages in these languages can be shared in a short amount of characters. Languages like English meanwhile, experience squeezed Tweets with 9% of English Tweets hitting the preceding 140 character limit.

So, why the change?

After administering a chain of tests to specific users, Twitter acquired valuable results and deemed the 240 character limit would be advantageous for the majority of users. Since 9% of English users were hitting the 140 character limit, many would need to spend time editing their Tweets to ensure they didn’t have to send several messages. Plus, users would now have the ability to easily fit their thoughts into a single Tweet, so they could say what was on their mind and send them quicker than before.

The question is, what effect will this have for internet marketers and SEO consultants? Here are a few alterations that they can expect to see.

Increased engagement

Since Twitter broadened the character limit, users have enjoyed a higher level of responses which resulted in more followers. Obviously, this has been a step in the right direction, as there has been a reported higher satisfaction rate from content producers in conjunction with more Likes, Retweets, and Mentions.

Improved user experience for followers.

The widened character limit means that users will have reduced threads of conversations, because they can fit more information into a single message. Users with long threads of conversations stated that it can often be problematic to follow and respond to. In addition, brands are loving the longer Tweets as it allows them to fit more intricate information into a single Tweet which produces higher engagement rates.

Increases customer communication

With the growth of enterprises using social media as a channel to resolve customer service matters, customers can now communicate a problem in more detail on Twitter which is advantageous for both the customer and the business, as communication is noticeably enhanced. Prior to this change, many users would have looked to other social media platforms like Facebook to report customer service issues due to the fact that the character limit was too restraining.

More Creativity

Longer Tweets means that enterprises can amplify the creativity of their communication with their audience through storytelling, Q&A’s, and more engaging Twitter Chats. Companies would generally have to use other social media networks if they wished to get creative, however brands can now effectively use longer text to their advantage by connecting with their audience on a more personal level.

Even though some users have claimed that the increase in character limit by Twitter makes them more comparable to other social media platforms, the vast majority of users seem to be very pleased with their latest update. Nothing is set in stone in social media, as making changes to stay on top of shifting user behaviour is critical for survival. For the time being though, both users and marketing specialists seem to have emerged the winner!

If you require any assistance about how your business can leverage the increased character limit to your advantage on Twitter, simply get in contact with Internet Marketing Experts Wagga Wagga by calling 1300 595 013, or alternatively visit their website for additional information:


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