Notice something a bit different the last time you went to compose a tweet? Did Twitter’s traditional 140 character limit seem to stretch a bit further? No, you’re not crazy. The platform recently made the monumental decision to effectively double its limit to 280 characters for all users.

While having an extra 140 characters at your disposal may not seem like major news for your business, it could prove to have a big impact — and not necessarily a positive one. Using that extra space poorly could quickly turn away followers, so strategizing your approach is essential. Our South Florida social media marketing agency is here to offer some pointers.

PITFALLS TO AVOID

• Overdoing it | There’s going to be a lot more space to work with the next time Twitter asks you “What’s Happening?” — but that doesn’t mean you have to use it all. The rule of thumb when it comes to social media copywriting has always been to keep it short and sweet, and that rule wasn’t crafted out of sheer necessity. It’s the standard because that’s what users respond to best, so drastically changing your strategy shouldn’t be your top priority. Instead, keep your focus on offering succinct messaging the gives your followers what they’re looking for.
• Be mindful of line breaks | Playing around with the ability to add extra spaces between lines of text may be fun for now, but it will quickly become an annoyance that turns away followers. Use this power for good, and only when doing so is actually useful for clarifying the contents of the tweet for those viewing it.
• Abusing hashtags | While this isn’t exactly a new blunder to avoid, the opportunity (and the temptation) to use too many hashtags has certainly increased with Twitter’s latest change. As always, limiting yourself to a maximum of three carefully chosen hashtags is essential for gaining and keeping followers on this platform.

HOW TO USE THE ADDED REAL ESTATE

• Incorporate multiple links | Particularly for real estate clients, the ability to add more than one link in a tweet is a valuable feature for sharing various listings. However, while it can be a great way to showcase two newly listed properties or the three listings you’re hosting open houses at this weekend, be mindful that a single call to action will always be more effective. If you can produce a single landing page or even an image that gets this message across, it may be your best bet.
• Translate your message | If your client-base speaks multiple languages, this extra space offers a prime opportunity to communicate your message in more than one language without creating a thread. This can be an effective tool, especially since Twitter lacks a translate feature like the one offered by Facebook.
• Keep key details in one place | Let’s be honest, though we love a straight-to-the-point kind of message, 140 characters could feel a bit restrictive at times. The newly added wiggle room can best be utilized by keeping essential information all in one place, rather than sharing a wordy image or even a thread. As is best practice with all marketing, use the allotted space to give the people what they want, where and when they want it.

Social media is always changing, but you don’t have to figure out how best to adapt all on your own. Our South Florida social media marketing agency can offer you the guidance you need to master the digital realm.

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