As of this writing, Twitter’s 280-character limit (up from 140) hasn’t come to a computer near me. But when it does, I’ll be ready because I really only need a few more than 140 characters (if that) to get the word out about my “issue du jour.” And here’s why:
Brevity is the soul of wit—and likes and retweets and clicks on links to your website. As with email, readers become fatigued after scanning the first few words. You’d better get it out there quickly or you’ll lose them. If you pique their interest in short punchy sentences, they will link to your website for the rest of the story. Your website, where you can sell them your product.
It will be nice, though, not to spend extra time trying to squeeze a punch line into the soon-to-be former space allotted. The other goody is that Twitter will no longer include photos and videos in the character count. Just continue to be prudent in how much you write.
Twitter discovered that more characters meant more followers and more interaction with other tweeps. And that’s what Twitter is all about—engagement. And putting your product before millions of eyes easily, quickly, and ethically. Which reminds me of a handy guide to that…
